What happened
On the morning of September 10, 2000, an Aviasud Albatros AE 209 ultralight, identified as 63-HS, was conducting a local flight over the Auvergne volcanic region. Approximately ten minutes into the flight, while the pilot was climbing at a low altitude toward a mountain pass, the aircraft began a right-hand bank. Witnesses on the ground observed the engine begin to misfire before failing completely. The aircraft entered a very tight right turn and subsequently stalled on the left wing, striking the top of a tree before falling vertically into a forest near the Lacot locality in Orcines.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the engine's performance and the fuel system's state at the time of the impact. Investigators confirmed that the engine was not producing power when the aircraft struck the tree. A search of the crash site and the aircraft's fuel system revealed no traces of fuel. No mechanical or technical anomalies were found within the engine itself. Furthermore, the passenger stated that the pilot had not replenished the fuel supply prior to departure. An examination of the wreckage revealed that the transparent fuel line, which served as a visual gauge, had become opaque due to the fuel mixture, preventing an accurate visual check of the remaining fuel level.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was fuel exhaustion.
- The pilot failed to perform a precise visual verification of the fuel quantity before takeoff.
- The opacity of the fuel gauge line prevented the pilot from accurately monitoring the fuel level during flight.