Introduction
On 3 June 2001, a Partenavia P68TC, registration N33PV, suffered a dual engine failure and was forced to land in a field near Gratwich, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. The aircraft was destroyed in the crash. The pilot and three passengers received serious injuries; one passenger sustained minor injuries. The aircraft was privately operated.
Background
The aircraft was imported into the United Kingdom in December 1998 and remained on the US register. It was based at Henstridge and primarily flown by the owner and a friend who held a Commercial Pilot's Licence and Instrument Rating. In late May 2001, the owner planned a family holiday in France.
On 24 May, the friend partially refueled the aircraft at Henstridge with 60 litres of AVGAS. He believed both tanks had equal fuel, about 1.5 inches below the filler neck. He then flew to Liverpool and back, noting normal behavior and fuel consumption. The owner later flew to Guernsey and refueled to "full tanks" but did not dip the tanks after refueling.
The P68's fuel tanks have a theoretical capacity of 71 US gallons each, but refueling to full is laborious due to the aircraft's narrow-track landing gear causing tilt. Typically, pilots fill one tank to the filler neck and the other to about 1.5 inches below, yielding about 230 litres per tank.
Accident Flight
After a few days at Vannes and Meaux, the owner refueled the aircraft at Meaux on the morning of 3 June. The left wing tank was filled with 157 litres of 100LL AVGAS, but the right wing tank was not refueled because a family member reported the right fuel gauge indicated two-thirds full. The pilot did not dip the tanks. The aircraft departed Meaux at 1020 UTC with intentions to fly to Liverpool and then Henstridge, planning on an endurance of about six hours.
The flight proceeded uneventfully in visual meteorological conditions. At 1246 UTC, while at 3,500 feet south of Leicester, the pilot contacted East Midlands Approach for a Flight Information Service. At 1312 UTC, she transmitted a Mayday stating she had lost the right engine. The controller provided vectors to Tatenhill airfield. About one minute later, the pilot reported "I HAVE NO ENGINES NOW" and then "TO DO A FORCED LANDING". At 1315 UTC, she reported "NO ENGINES ... W'ELL HAVE TO FIND A FIELD". The last transmission at 1316:50 UTC indicated she saw a field. The aircraft crash-landed in a ploughed field with an upslope.
Rescue and Investigation
The East Midlands Approach controller vectored another aircraft to the last known position, and a 999 call was made at 1321 UTC. Police arrived at 1332 UTC. Four occupants were seriously injured; three were trapped and freed by fire services. Two were airlifted to hospital.
Examination of the wreckage revealed that the right propeller was feathered and the left propeller showed slow rotation, indicating the left engine was still running at impact. The left fuel tank contained about 15 gallons, while the right tank was empty. The right fuel selector valve was found in an intermediate position that allowed cross-flow between the left and right fuel systems.
Conclusion
The investigation concluded that the right engine failed due to fuel starvation, and the left engine subsequently failed when fuel cross-fed from the left to the right tank.