What happened
On 16 December 1997, a Victa Airtourer 100, registration G-ATJC, was conducting a private flight from Cumbernauld to Prestwick, with a subsequent planned leg to Oxford Kidlington. The pilot intended to pick up a passenger at Prestwick and proceed to the final destination. To remain within weight limitations, the pilot had planned the mission using a maximum usable fuel figure of 24 imperial gallons.
After a brief stop at Prestwick, the aircraft continued its journey. Approximately two hours and 25 minutes into the flight, as the pilot was considering a landing for refueling within the next 15 minutes, the engine ceased operation. The pilot subsequently performed a successful forced landing in a field south of Crewe, Cheshire. There were no fatalities and no injuries to the two occupants. The aircraft sustained damage to one propeller blade, which was found to be slightly bent.
The investigation
The investigation established that the engine failure was caused by the fuel tanks becoming empty. While the pilot believed he had 24 gallons on board based on a manual dipstick check, subsequent checks revealed that the aircraft had only been uplifted with 7 gallons of fuel on the afternoon of 15 December. Given the fuel remaining from a previous flight, the actual fuel available for the leg to Oxford was approximately 17 gallons, which is consistent with the flight duration before the engine stopped.
Investigators found that the internal fuel gauge was known to be unreliable and had been non-functional for some time. Although the pilot used a dipstick to verify the fuel level, the investigation noted that the accuracy of such a measurement could be compromised by an unlevel aircraft or the poor quality of the measuring tool itself. Furthermore, the aircraft's paperwork was found to be incomplete and misleading, as it lacked a record of the most recent fuel uplift despite a notation of '24G' being present.
Findings
- The engine stopped because the aircraft ran out of fuel.
- The pilot's belief that 24 gallons were on board was incorrect due to an insufficient fuel uplift prior to the flight.
- The aircraft's fuel gauge was unreliable and had been out of order for a period.
- The aircraft paperwork regarding the recent fuel uplift was incomplete and potentially misleading.
- The accuracy of the manual fuel dipstick check may have been compromised by the aircraft not being on a level surface or the quality of the equipment.