What happened
On July 9, 2013, a Gardan GY 80 Horizon 180, registration F-BNYE, departed from Marmande Virazeil for a flight over the Bassin d’Arcachon. The aircraft was carrying the pilot and three passengers. Approximately 20 minutes into the flight, while cruising at 2,000 feet, the engine suffered a loss of power and the propeller entered a windmilling state.
The pilot attempted an emergency landing in a cultivated field. During the landing roll, the aircraft encountered a furrow in the ground, which caused the left main landing gear to break. The aircraft subsequently performed a ground loop before coming to a stop. There were no fatalities among the four occupants.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and found that the fuel selector was positioned to the auxiliary tank, which was empty. The two main wing tanks contained approximately 8/80 liters of fuel.
The investigation established that following a distraction involving audio interference from headsets, the pilot had returned to the airfield and quickly prepared for a subsequent departure. To conserve fuel, the pilot had selected the auxiliary tank. Due to time pressure and recent distractions, the pilot did not verify the fuel selector position during the pre-flight checklist, which requires checking that the selector is set to "Left and Right" tanks.
Furthermore, the investigation noted that the pilot had not performed engine failure drills or simulated power loss exercises in several years. The aircraft's flight manual also lacked a specific checklist for engine shutdown procedures, focusing only on engine fire protocols.
Findings
- The engine power loss was caused by the exhaustion of fuel in the auxiliary tank due to the incorrect selection of the fuel source.
- The pilot's haste during the turnaround, driven by time pressure, led to the improper fuel selector setting.
- The pre-flight checklist failed to catch the incorrect selector position.
- The pilot lacked recent training in managing single-engine power loss scenarios.