What happened
On August 5, 2001, a Cessna U 206G, registration I-PAVR, departed from the La Comina airpark in San Quirino for a parachuting mission. The aircraft was carrying one pilot and five passengers. Shortly after takeoff, while climbing through approximately 500 feet, the engine suddenly failed.
Due to the low altitude, the pilot was unable to return to the runway and instead performed an emergency landing in an uncultivated agricultural field located about 50 and 500 meters east of the runway. The landing was successful, and there were no injuries to the crew or passengers, nor was there any damage to the aircraft or third-party property.
The investigation
The ANSV investigation examined the flight history, the aircraft's technical condition, and the pre-flight procedures. The investigation revealed that while the aircraft was airworthy and maintained according to regulations, a critical error occurred during the pre-flight fuel check.
A colleague of the pilot had performed a fuel level check using a graduated stick shortly before the pilot arrived at the airfield. This individual checked the left tank and then proceeded to the right tank without waiting for the dipstick to dry. This caused the stick to show a false high reading, leading the colleague to believe the right tank contained roughly the same amount of fuel as the left.
The pilot did not personally verify the fuel levels visually, relying instead on the colleague's report and the cockpit fuel gauges. The investigation also found that the cockpit fuel level indicators were malfunctioning, providing readings that coincidentally matched the erroneous information provided by the colleague.
Findings
- The primary cause of the engine failure was fuel starvation, as the selected tank was actually empty.
- The pilot failed to personally verify the fuel quantities in both wing tanks prior to departure.
- The pilot relied on verbal confirmation from a colleague regarding the fuel levels.
- The colleague's fuel dipstick check was inaccurate because the stick was not dried after checking the left tank.
- Malfunctioning cockpit fuel gauges provided misleading information that reinforced the incorrect pre-flight assessment.