Cessna A150L Forced Landing Due to Fuel Exhaustion Near Rand Airport (ZS-IOP)

Incident Overview and Flight Details On 14 October 2021, a Cessna A150L with registration ZS-IOP was operating a private flight under visual flight rules (VFR) by day. The flight originated at Rand Airport (FAGM) in Gauteng Province, with intended stops at Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (FAKN) and Skukuza Airport (FASZ) in Mpumalanga Province, before returning to FAGM. The aircraft was carrying a pilot and one passenger. Fine weather conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the operation. ## Sequence of Events The pilot reported that the flight from Skukuza Airport to Rand Airport was uneventful until the aircraft was approximately 2 nautical miles inbound to Rand Airport. At that point, the pilot observed that the remaining fuel was too low and noticed a reduction in engine performance. To prevent an engine-out situation, the pilot elected to perform a forced landing on a semi-prepared field located approximately 3 nautical miles south-east of Rand Airport. The aircraft landed safely, and neither the aircraft nor the occupants sustained any damage or injuries. ## Investigation Findings The pilot held a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) and was a Grade 2 instructor. Records indicated that the aircraft was refuelled with 68 litres (17 USG) of Avgas 100LL on 13 October 2021. The pilot stated that the aircraft had a total of 21 USG of fuel on board at take-off, which translated to an endurance of 3.0 hours. However, the total fuel required for the flight, including a minimum fuel requirement of 30 minutes at the destination, was calculated to be 22.94 USG. Considering the unusable fuel of 3.5 USG, the usable fuel was 19.44 USG. The investigation determined that the total fuel required for the incident flight was 24.59 USG. After the incident, engineers recovered the aircraft and found no fuel in either tank. The aircraft was inspected, topped up with 60 litres (15 USG) of fuel, and flown back to base where it landed safely. The fuel gauge was removed and tested by an aircraft maintenance organisation, which found the left-side system calibration to have zero deviation from the empty indication, while the right-side system was slightly high but within tolerance. The aircraft was released back to service with no anomalies. ## Probable Cause and Contributory Factors The probable cause of the serious incident was that the aircraft ran out of fuel, resulting in a loss of engine power and a subsequent forced landing. Contributory factors included inadequate flight planning and disregard of Part 91.07.12 of the Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) 2011 as amended, which outlines fuel and oil requirements, and Part 91.07.2, which specifies planning criteria for aeroplanes. The pilot was in contravention of CAR Part 91.07.02, as the aircraft did not meet the minimum fuel requirement of 30 minutes remaining in the tanks upon reaching the intended landing aerodrome for a VFR flight.