What happened
On the morning of October 4, 2005, a Piper PA 28-180 Archer, registered F-BVOL, was scheduled for a night flight from Poitiers aerodrome to a private airfield at Mellay-Viabon. After fully refueling the aircraft, the pilot departed at 06:30. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot noticed the door latch had become unlocked and subsequently performed a landing circuit on runway 03 to secure the door.
During the subsequent flight, approximately 30 minutes into the journey, the pilot discovered that the left fuel tank cap was missing. The pilot contacted Poitiers air traffic control to request a runway inspection. The missing cap was located on the taxiway between the fuel pump and the runway. To complete the flight, the pilot continued toward the destination while keeping the fuel selector on the left tank, closely monitoring the tank opening for any signs of leakage. The aircraft landed safely at Mellay-Boan at approximately 07:30.
The investigation
The investigation focused on how the fuel cap became displaced and the subsequent fuel depletion. Upon landing at the destination, a ground inspection of the left fuel tank revealed that 20 liters of fuel had been lost during the flight. The pilot stated that the cap had likely been left on the wing following the refueling process. The pilot also noted that the aircraft is used frequently for professional travel, which contributed to the circumstances of the event.