History of the Flight
The pilot planned a private flight from Barrow (Walney Island) Airfield to Kinloss, a distance of 212 nm. During the pre-flight check, he estimated 25 litres in the left tank and 15 litres in the right tank, calculating a maximum flying time of 3 hours 20 minutes based on a fuel consumption of 12 litres per hour, which he considered the long-term average for the aircraft. He designated Dundee Airport as an alternate.
The aircraft began taxiing at 1346 hrs and took off at 1352 hrs, climbing to between 1,600 ft and 2,000 ft. At 1425 hrs, it commenced a climb to 7,500 ft over 10 minutes using approximately 80% power. At 1435 hrs, it climbed further to 8,700 ft, during which it entered Class A airspace over Eskdalemuir and later Class D airspace within the Scottish TMA.
At 1440 hrs, the pilot contacted Scottish Area Control Centre (SACC), stating his intended route and desire to climb to 9,000 ft to remain clear of cloud. The controller cleared the aircraft on track to Kinloss and advised the pilot to notify her before making large turns due to potential conflicts with traffic. The pilot later requested and was cleared to climb to 10,000 ft. Five minutes later, he reported cloud ahead and requested descent to 5,000 ft. SACC initially cleared the aircraft to FL70 due to traffic and instructed him to contact Edinburgh Radar. The pilot read back the frequency but did not contact Edinburgh ATC before entering the Edinburgh Control Area (CTA) without clearance. The aircraft exited northbound at about 4,500 ft and continued descending to 2,000 ft.
While crossing the Firth of Tay, having climbed again to about 4,500 ft, the pilot noted the right wing tank was empty and only 10 litres remained in the left tank. He turned south toward Dundee Airport, where he was instructed to join for Runway 27 via Broughty Castle. At 1548 hrs, he advised Dundee ATC that the aircraft had run out of fuel.
The aircraft headed southeast over fields on the northern edge of Dundee, about 2 nm northeast of the airport. The pilot judged he could not land clear of built-up areas on his present track and turned north to find more open ground. He initially saw playing fields but they were occupied by children, so he turned toward an adjacent golf course. However, the fairways also appeared congested, and he decided to land in a tree. The impact substantially damaged the aircraft, which remained in the tree. The pilot, sustaining minor injuries, was rescued by emergency services and taken to hospital.
Flight in Controlled Airspace
The pilot held a National Private Pilot’s Licence, which does not permit instrument flight rules or flight in Class A airspace. There was no record of a valid flight radiotelephony operator’s licence. Flight in Class D airspace requires a clearance via radio or prior arrangement. Edinburgh ATC reported the unauthorised entry into the CTA as an infringement.
Recorded Information
An AvMap EKP-IV GPS and Bräuniger Alpha MFD were recovered. The GPS recorded the flight from 1346:03 hrs at Walney to 1548:31 hrs at Caird Park. The highest altitude was 9,935 ft amsl at 1504:24 hrs. The altitude plot shows a descent from 9,935 ft to 1,663 ft as the aircraft crossed the A91 north of Glenrothes, followed by a climb. The final descent rate was about 900 ft/min, reducing to 600 ft/min during a descending 270° turn, ending at 340 ft amsl (110 ft agl).
The MFD recorded maximum values: maximum altitude 10,013 ft, maximum indicated airspeed 120 kts, engine running time 2 hrs 4 mins. Exhaust gas temperatures (EGT) showed EGT1 at 113°C and EGT2 at 804°C; cylinder head temperatures (CHT) were not measured. The disparate EGT values and absent CHT record suggested a possible wiring fault. The EGT2 value of 804°C was below the specified maximum of 850°C.
Flight Planning and Fuel System
The pilot assumed a fuel consumption of 12 litres per hour based on previous flights, while the manufacturer states 18.5 litres per hour at 75% cruise power and 25 litres per hour at maximum continuous power. The Operators Manual lists cruising fuel consumption of 10 to 14 litres per hour but warns these are guide figures and recommends a minimum of 1 hour reserve fuel. Kinloss is 212 nm from Barrow on a bearing of 357°(M). Meteorological forecasts indicated average winds of 25 kt from 280°(T) at 2,000 ft, increasing to 35 kt at higher altitudes, with a headwind component of about 11 kt on the direct track.
The CTSW is a high-wing aircraft with integral wing tanks, each of 65 litres capacity. Fuel is stored ahead of the main spar. A circular plug in each root rib incorporates a fuel contents sight tube and off-take tube. The inlet strainer is held close to the tank floor at the aft inboard corner. The wings have 1.5° dihedral, which in balanced flight keeps fuel inboard. Each tank has a single baffle about 0.45 m from the root.