What happened
On 15 June 1998, a private flight was underway in a Reims Cessna FRA150L Aerobat, registration G-BANE, traveling from Belfast Aldergrove International Airport. The planned route included stops at Londonderry, Enniskillen, and Lurgan, with an expected total flight duration of 1.6 hours. Weather conditions at the time were reported as good.
After approximately one hour and twenty minutes of flight, the aircraft was roughly 8.5 nautical miles from its destination when the engine began to lose power. The pilot, suspecting carburettor icing, engaged the carburettor heat. While this briefly restored power, the engine subsequently began to run very roughly. The pilot issued a Mayday call to Aldergrove Approach and performed a successful precautionary landing in a large field. There were no injuries to the pilot, and the aircraft sustained no damage.
The investigation
Following the incident, the Chief Flying Instructor (CFI) of the flying club inspected the aircraft at the landing site. During this inspection, approximately 20 litres of fuel were drained from the tanks, and the tanks were subsequently refilled with 40 litres of fresh fuel. A 20-minute engine ground run was conducted, during which the engine performed normally. While a minor defect was noted on the left wing drain, the fuel caps, drains, vents, and the carburettor heat system were all found to be functional.
Following the ground run, the aircraft completed a short six-minute positioning flight back to Aldergrove without further issues. Subsequent engineering investigations into the engine revealed no mechanical abnormalities.