What happened
On June 25, 2001, a Cessna 152, registration F-GDIA, was engaged in a cross-country flight between Le Plessis Belleville and Tours. After completing the outbound leg and stopping in Tours, the pilot planned a return flight lasting approximately two and a half hours to allow for sightseeing south of Tours.
During the northbound return leg, the pilot attempted to contact Châteaudun approach and tower to fly over the airfield as planned, but received no response. While maneuvering to bypass the Châteaudun airspace, the pilot became disoriented and lost the intended route, eventually regaining navigation near Chartres.
Upon realizing that the remaining fuel was critically low—estimated at only 45 minutes—the pilot decided to divert to either Pontoise or Persan-Beaumont. Approximately three hours and forty minutes after departing Tours, while in radio contact with Pontoise tower, the engine stopped. The pilot performed an emergency landing in a field near Triel-sur-Seine. There were no injuries and no damage to the aircraft was reported.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the engine failure and the fuel management during the flight. Investigators examined the aircraft's fuel system and found that the tanks were completely empty at the time of the incident. The investigation also reviewed the pilot's flight planning, which had originally estimated a total flight endurance of five and a half hours for the round trip.