What happened
On 14 March 2001, a Beech G18S, registration ZS-OEP, was conducting a local training flight near FALA. The flight was intended for type conversion training, with an instructor accompanied by a trainee pilot and two additional passengers. During the third circuit following a touch-and-go landing on runway 06L, the right-hand engine failed shortly after takeoff.
In an attempt to reach runway 17, the crew attempted to fly a left-hand circuit at a low altitude. During this maneuver, the left-hand engine also failed. The aircraft subsequently struck three 11kV electrical conductors, severing them, before performing a forced landing approximately 1km north of the runway 17 threshold. The pilot sustained minor injuries, and there were no fatalities among the four people on board.
The investigation
Investigators examined the fuel system and the circumstances surrounding the refueling process prior to the flight. The aircraft is configured with three fuel tanks in each wing: Front, Rear Auxiliary, and Auxiliary. The cockpit is equipped with only a single fuel quantity gauge, which relies on a seven-position selector knob to monitor different tanks.
Post-accident inspections revealed that the two front tanks selected on the fuel valve were empty. While the trainee pilot had refueled the aircraft before the flight, there was a discrepancy in the reported fuel levels. The trainee believed the main tanks were filled to capacity and that 70 litres had been added to each inboard auxiliary tank. However, the instructor was under the impression that the center auxiliary tanks were only partially filled. Crucially, while the pilot had selected the left and right front tanks for engine feed, the fuel gauge selector knob had been set to the right-hand auxiliary tank, meaning the crew was monitoring the wrong fuel supply.