What happened
On 19 April 2003, a Tipsy Niver T.66 RA45 Series 3, registration G-AVXD, was engaged in a private flight near Denhead of Gray, Scotland. The pilot, who was performing his first flight in this specific single-seat aircraft, had been briefed by an experienced instructor and intended to perform general handling and basic aerobatic maneuvers. Following a successful takeoff and a series of handling exercises, including stalls, the pilot performed a loop.
As the aircraft passed through the inverted position and the pilot began reducing the throttle, the engine suffered a complete loss of power, though the propeller remained in motion. The pilot immediately leveled the aircraft and initiated engine failure procedures while navigating toward Dundee Airport. After being unable to restart the engine through various fuel and magneto adjustments, the pilot declared a distress call while descending through 3,000 feet. Due to the inability to reach the airfield, a field was selected for a forced landing. The aircraft approached the site into the wind, parallel to tractor tracks, but landed in a fully stalled condition. During the ground roll, the nose wheel caught in the soft earth, causing the aircraft to pitch forward and come to rest upside down. The pilot exited the aircraft through a broken canopy without no injuries.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft's fuel system and the state of the fuel selector following the accident. The aircraft features a single fuel tank located between the engine and the wing spar, with fuel levels monitored via a sight gauge. The fuel selector offers three settings: 'AERO', 'MAIN', and 'OFF'. The 'AERO' setting utilizes a 'flop tube' to facilitate inverted flight, while the 'MAIN' setting draws from a sump at the tank's base.
Upon recovery, the fuel selector was found set to the 'AERO' position. Although the aircraft had been refueled to its full 31-litre capacity prior to the flight, only about 10 litres of fuel remained in the tank after the crash. There was no evidence of a leak or tank rupture at the scene. Notably, subsequent testing by a maintenance organization demonstrated that the engine was functioning correctly.