Overview
On 18 April 2003, a Cessna R172K, registration ZS-MEE, was involved in an accident near Upington, South Africa. The aircraft was operated as a private hire-and-fly flight. The pilot, aged 22, held a private pilot licence and had logged 105.3 total flying hours, with 69.7 hours on the Cessna 172 (fixed-pitch O-320) and 2.3 hours on the Cessna 172 (variable-pitch IO-360). The aircraft departed Cape Town International Airport (FACT) at 1026Z en route to Upington (FAUP), with a planned VFR routing via Fisantekraal at 2500 ft, then direct to Upington at flight level 095. The estimated flight time was 3 hours 30 minutes, with a fuel endurance of 4 hours 50 minutes.
Flight History
Shortly after departure, the aircraft lost power and began to descend due to an incorrectly set mixture that was too lean. The pilot notified air traffic control (ATC), who relayed correct mixture-setting procedures obtained from an instructor at the flying school from which the aircraft was hired. After setting the mixture to full rich, the aircraft climbed normally. The pilot continued to Fisantekraal, then climbed to FL095 and routed via Mareesburg, Porterville, Calvinia, and Keimoes.
At 1336Z, the pilot contacted Upington ATC and reported being lost and unsure of her position. ATC attempted to help identify her location using landmarks. She then called a friend on her cell phone, who assisted in setting up the aircraft's VOR for the Upington beacon. At that time, she was on a 250° radial and then steered a heading of 070°M toward the beacon. The pilot also expressed concern about fuel, stating the mixture was set for a fuel flow of 8.5 US gallons per hour. With a usable fuel capacity of 49 US gallons and an elapsed flight time of 3 hours 48 minutes, the friend did not anticipate a fuel problem.
At 1424Z, the pilot re-established contact with ATC, sounding more relaxed. She reported being east of Keimoes and on course for Upington. ATC asked about fuel; she replied she had 50 minutes remaining.
Accident Sequence
At 1427Z, the pilot reported an engine problem. ATC advised her to continue to Upington, gave surface wind conditions, and suggested using the M14 tar road for landing if necessary. At this time, she stated she was approximately 5 nautical miles from Upington. At 1430Z, she reported she was executing a forced landing.
An eyewitness traveling on the M14 road saw the aircraft flying at a very low altitude crossing the road from west to east. The witness thought the aircraft might be crop-spraying. He then saw the aircraft "flick" to the right and impact the ground in the direction from which it had come. He rushed to the scene and found the aircraft inverted and badly damaged.
Injuries
The passenger survived the accident but sustained serious injuries. The pilot sustained fatal injuries.
Probable Cause
Engine failure occurred as a result of fuel exhaustion. The pilot failed to maintain flying speed and lost control of the aircraft prior to colliding with the ground. In the ensuing collision the pilot sustained fatal injuries and the passenger was seriously injured. Contributory factors were the following: Unfamiliarity of aircraft systems; Due to adverse weather on route to Upington, the pilot had to deviate from her planned routing and in the process became lost; Although the pilot realized that her fuel was running low, she neglected to carry out a timeous precautionary landing and allowed the engine to fail as a result of fuel exhaustion; Following the engine failure, the pilot did not complete the standard forced landing checks that should be recalled from memory; She did not make use of the tarred road for landing; It is possible that the pilot was stressed to such a degree that her decision making and judgement were impaired, which prevented her from making clear and logical decisions and caused her to loose control of the situation.