What happened
On May 5, 1999, a Cessna 152, registered F-GDOD, departed for a planned navigation flight from Pointe-à-Pitre, intended to include stops at Marie-Galante and Dominica. The flight was scheduled to last approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, with a planned 40-minute fuel reserve. During the flight, approximately 10 nautical miles from the Fort-de-France aerodrome, the engine began to misfire. The instructor took control of the aircraft and issued a "Mayday" call on the control tower frequency. After 3 hours and 20 minutes of flight time, the engine ceased operation, and the aircraft performed a forced landing on the water in the Bay of Fort-de-France. Both the instructor and the student pilot survived the impact, but the aircraft was destroyed.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the engine's performance and the fuel system's integrity. Investigators found no traces of fuel on the sea surface following the ditching. Subsequent disassembly of the engine and the fuel system revealed no mechanical anomalies or leaks.
Analysis of the aircraft's fuel consumption records from late 1998 to May 1999 showed an average consumption of 22.6 L/h across all flight types. However, data specifically for flights to Pointe-à-Pitre indicated a higher average of 25 L/h, with peaks reaching as high as 32 L/h. While the aircraft's logbook specified a maximum theoretical endurance of 6 hours and 40 minutes based on 141 liters of usable fuel, the investigation could not confirm if the tanks had been fully replenished during the final refueling before departure.