What happened
On 24 July 2001, a CESSNA C206, registered ZS-JNA, departed from Sishen on a private visual flight rules (VFR) mission destined for Potchef/Potchefstroom. The flight proceeded normally until the aircraft's arrival at the destination. During the right-hand base leg for Runway 21, the engine ceased operation. The pilot was forced to execute an emergency landing in a field situated to the left of the runway. While the landing resulted in damage to the aircraft's main wheel tires, there were 0 fatalities and 0 injuries.
The investigation
An investigation into the incident established that the engine failure was directly linked to the depletion of fuel in the left-hand tank. Although the right-hand tank still contained approximately 1.5 hours of usable fuel at the time of the failure, the exhaustion of the left-hand tank rendered the engine inoperable. The pilot, who held a valid license and medical certificate, confirmed that the engine stopped running due to this fuel imbalance. Records indicated that the aircraft had been maintained according to all required standards. No on-site investigation was conducted for this occurrence.
Findings
- The primary cause of the engine failure was fuel mismanagement by the pilot.
- The pilot failed to monitor the fuel levels effectively, leading to the total exhaustion of the left-hand tank during the approach.
- The incident was characterized by a disregard for standard safe operating practices regarding fuel planning and monitoring.