Accident Details
Owned by the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA), the aircraft was dispatched at Sion Airport to perform several local training flights. At the end of the day, a pilot under training and an FOCA inspector decided to complete a local training flight out of Sion Airport. The single-engine aircraft took off at 1935 local time, and the crew completed several touch-and-go maneuvers. Less than an hour later, after takeoff from runway 26, while in initial climb, the engine failed. The crew attempted to make an emergency landing in an open field when the aircraft collided with a car on a street and crashed on the ground.
Aftermath
Both pilots escaped with minor injuries, while one person in the car was seriously injured. The aircraft and the car were destroyed.
Investigation
The probable cause identified by investigators was engine failure during initial climb due to fuel exhaustion. Investigations revealed that during the flight preparation, the flight inspector was the victim either of a mistake or of a lack of attention when he checked the quantities in the fuel tanks, an operation carried out at night using a flashlight which was uneasy. The aircraft had already flown for three hours prior to the accident flight, and no fuel was added prior to that flight.