What happened
On January 14, 2003, a Cessna 188 B Agtruck, registration F-OGIU, was performing aerial spraying operations over a banana plantation near Capesterre-Belle-Eau. The pilot departed from the Grand Café airfield to treat a field located approximately four kilometers away. While flying at an altitude of roughly three meters above the plantation at a speed of 95 knots, the engine suddenly stopped. The pilot was unable to attempt a restart before the aircraft passed under high-voltage power lines and struck the flank of a hill, approximately 200 meters from the pilot's intended landing site. The impact resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and one injury to the pilot.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the fuel system and the pilot's operational procedures. Examination of the wreckage revealed that both wing tanks were empty, with only about 1.5 liters of fuel remaining in the central collector. The aircraft lacks a fuel selector, meaning fuel flows by gravity from the wing tanks to the central collector.
Investigators reviewed the loading logs, which recorded the amount of agricultural product loaded, the area to be treated, and takeoff times. The logs showed that the engine failure occurred 2 hours and 35 minutes after the initial takeoff of the day. While the pilot remained in the aircraft during refueling intervals—which lasted about five minutes per rotation—he did not visually check fuel levels or monitor gauge indications. The pilot relied on manual time tracking using a wristwatch to manage fuel consumption rather than verifying physical quantities.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was inadequate fuel management, specifically exceeding the flight duration defined by established working procedures.
- The pilot failed to verify the actual fuel quantity in the tanks during the refueling process.
- The low fuel level, combined with the aircraft's maneuvers during spraying, likely caused the fuel system to lose prime, leading to the engine failure.