Accident Flight
On 7 July 2000 at 1555 UTC, a Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage (registration N44DN) departed Bournemouth Airport for a shakedown flight following a 100-hour maintenance inspection. The pilot, aged 68 with 10,481 total flying hours (14 hours on type), held a Private Pilot's Licence. The aircraft carried two passengers. The pilot recalled that the fuel tank gauges indicated 22 US gallons in the left wing and 40 US gallons in the right wing, totaling 62 US gallons. The Aircraft Flight Manual specifies a maximum allowable lateral fuel imbalance of 10 US gallons.
The aircraft started at 1448 hours and taxied for departure from Runway 26, with the right tank selected. It climbed to FL180 and completed required engine checks. During the turn to return to Bournemouth, the right fuel quantity indicator dropped to zero; the pilot was not concerned as the left tank had only been used for part of the taxi. A digital fuel endurance indicator showed one hour remaining.
Descent began and the aircraft was transferred to Bournemouth Approach for an ILS approach to Runway 08. Fuel flow and rpm began to fluctuate; the pilot selected the left tank. Radar vectoring was provided, and the pilot requested a turn to avoid a cloud buildup. The aircraft became established on the localiser at 25 nautical miles, descending to 3,000 feet. About ten miles from touchdown, fuel flow and rpm again fluctuated. The pilot reselected the right tank, but the engine did not recover. Selecting the left tank briefly restored power, then the engine failed again.
The pilot turned left off the ILS and identified a suitable field with an uphill gradient. Landing gear and full flap were selected. The aircraft touched down further into the field than intended; the touchdown was smooth, but the aircraft could not stop before hitting the far boundary hedge. The left wing was severely damaged. There was no fire, and all three occupants evacuated normally, sustaining only minor injuries.
Fuel History
Post-accident investigation traced the aircraft's movements from ATC records. The aircraft, piloted by its owner, had flown from Rome Ciampino to Southend, landing at 2016 hours on 21 June 2000. On 23 June, it was refuelled to full tanks with 326 litres of Avgas 100LL, then departed at 1425 hours for Bournemouth, arriving at 1521 hours. Between 23 and 25 June, it operated four sectors on two round trips between Bournemouth and Exeter, totalling 1 hour 47 minutes airborne time. The aircraft then underwent maintenance and did not fly again until the accident flight.
The digital fuel quantity/endurance indicator relied on being reset at refuelling and used engine fuel flow to recalculate endurance. The owner indicated the instrument had been reset at the previous refuelling but was not intended for prolonged ground operations.
Total fuel capacity is 455 litres (120 US gallons). Cruise fuel flow at normal cruise power is about 69 litres per hour (18 US gallons per hour) at 20,000 feet. From the movement history, the aircraft had been airborne for 2.72 hours at less than optimum cruise altitudes. At least 188 litres of fuel would have been consumed from the 455 litres, leaving 267 litres (70 US gallons). Additional consumption occurred during taxying before and after each flight sector (10 occasions) and an engine run of at least 30 minutes during maintenance, likely totalling more than 1.5 hours. The owner estimated 96 US gallons were consumed during the five sectors after the Southend refuel. Therefore, it is likely that the aircraft had considerably less than 62 US gallons at the time of the accident flight departure.