What happened
On 20 November 2005, a Rotorway Exec 90, registration ZS-WZG, was performing a repositioning flight at Vereeniging Aerodrome (FAVV). The flight was intended to move the aircraft from its maintenance hangar to a fuel bay for a subsequent training session. While the pilot was established on final approach for Runway 33, the engine suffered a sudden failure.
In response to the loss of power, the pilot attempted an engine restart. Although the engine briefly regained operation, it failed once more. The pilot then transitioned into an autorotation procedure, briefing the passenger before selecting a landing site. The aircraft touched down, but as the skids contacted the soft ground, the helicopter skidded approximately 1.5 meters. The momentum caused the aircraft to tilt forward, resulting in the main rotor striking the ground and a whip-lash motion that damaged the tail guard and skids. There were 0 fatalities and 0 injuries during the incident.
The investigation
Investigators examined the circumstances surrounding the engine failure and the subsequent landing. The aircraft had recently undergone a rebuild, having flown only 32.6 hours since that maintenance milestone. Post-incident inspections of the fuel system revealed a significant discrepancy: while the fuel gauges indicated that one quarter of the fuel remained in the tanks, the tanks were actually empty at the time of the failure.
Findings
- The engine failure was caused by fuel exhaustion.
- The pilot and owner failed to perform a proper pre-flight inspection or adequate pre-flight planning.
- The fuel gauges provided inaccurate readings, showing remaining fuel when none was present.