What happened
On 11 April 1999, a Rutan Varieze, registration G-BKVE, was conducting a private flight from Orleans St Denis to Biggin Hill. While flying over a field at Waltham, near Canterbury, the aircraft was at an altitude of 2,000 feet when the engine ceased operation without warning. The pilot, maintaining a glide speed of 10/ mph, attempted to troubleshoot the issue by checking the magnetos and mixture.
During the emergency descent, the pilot attempted to switch the fuel source using the fuel selector. However, the selector, which is positioned under the right wrist, became jammed and could not be moved to access the fuel in the fuselage tank. As the aircraft descended to 500 feet, the pilot ceased attempts to manipulate the selector to focus on the landing approach. The aircraft touched down in a field at approximately 60 mph with the front landing gear still retracted. The impact resulted in general damage to the wing, fuselage, and engine mountings, though there were no injuries to the pilot.
The investigation
The investigation examined the fuel levels and consumption rates during the flight. Although the pilot had planned the flight based on a fuel consumption rate of 4.4 imperial gallons per hour, post-flight inspections revealed that the wing tanks contained less than 1 gallon of fuel, while the fuselage tank remained full. This indicated that the actual fuel consumption during the flight was approximately 6.9 imperial gallons per hour.
Investigators also looked into the mechanical state of the fuel system. It was determined that the fuel selector was jammed, preventing the pilot from utilizing the reserve fuel stored in the fuselage tank. The investigation noted that the aircraft's fuel gauges are only visible from the rear seat, making it difficult for a pilot to monitor levels accurately without engine symptoms.