What happened
On the morning of 29 March 2025, a Cessna 152 with registration ZS-SBC departed Virginia Aerodrome (FAVG) in KwaZulu-Natal for a planned navigational flight. The mission involved flying to Harding and Pietermaritzburg Airport before returning to the departure point. The flight was conducted under visual meteorological conditions by a pilot and one passenger.
While flying approximately 10 nautical miles from the departure aerodrome, the engine began running roughly before suffering a complete loss of power. After attempting to troubleshoot the engine failure without success, the passenger contacted the Virginia tower via VHF radio. To manage the descent, the pilot deployed 30 degrees of flaps, performing a successful forced landing on the beach shoreline near the Beachwood Mangrolves Nature Reserve. Both occupants exited the aircraft safely, and there were no injuries or damage to the aircraft.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the aircraft's maintenance records, flight logs, and fuel consumption history. The investigation confirmed that while the aircraft was airworthy and the engine was found to be fully functional by a maintenance organization following the incident, the fuel levels were inadequate for the intended mission.
Review of the flight folio revealed that the pilot had performed a pre-flight inspection but failed to visually verify the actual fuel quantity on board. Calculations based on previous fuel uplifts and flight durations indicated that the aircraft was operating on reserve fuel from previous flights and lacked the necessary volume to complete the planned 02:25-hour itinerary.
Findings
- The primary cause of the engine failure was fuel exhaustion.
- The pilot departed with insufficient fuel to complete the intended flight route.
- The pilot did not visually confirm the fuel quantity during the pre-flight inspection.
- Weather conditions were clear and did not contribute to the incident.