A pilot and passenger were left with serious injuries after the aircraft’s fuel tank ran out mid-flight, an investigation has found. The plane crashed on the northern approach to Shoreham Airport at 1pm on February 11, 2022 which led to the pilot sustaining life changing injuries to his head, neck, spine, chest and hips.
The Air Accidents Investigations Branch found that while the small aircraft had sufficient fuel on board for the flight, one of four fuel tanks ran out of useable fuel. The report, released on Thursday (June 1), adds that relevant emergency checklists were not carried out as the pilot demonstrated incorrect fuel management.
As a result, the engine stopped leading to the plane crashing in Steyning Valley. The PA-32 Cherokee Six aircraft had taken off from Lydd Airport in Kent shortly after 10am as the pilot travelled towards the first stop in Lee-on-Solent, Hampshire.
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He landed one hour later, then at 12.40pm began the intended return flight to Lydd. The passenger, who could not fully recall the accident, believed they had travelled inland to see a landmark.
Recorded data suggests that the aircraft was heading east at 2,100 ft towards Steyning along the northern border of the South Downs at 12.58pm. The passenger recalled the pilot saying they had “a problem” and the aircraft lost engine power.
The pilot turned the aircraft right onto a south-westerly heading. Although he could not recall the accident, he believed this was to face into wind and avoid a built-up area ahead.
Following this, he submitted a mayday call to Shoreham Airport which was four miles south-east of their location. The passenger recalled that the pilot tried to restart his engine two or three times, while a number of witnesses reported hearing the engine “revving” and “spluttering” before it stopped.
The plane then began gliding towards Steyning Valley, quickly dropping in altitude. The passenger described that turn, “ahead to the right were trees and ahead to the left was hilly grass. There were a few bad options, it was trying to decide which was least bad, the trees, or where we ended up on the hill”.
As the plane was dropping at a rate of 650ft per minute the passenger recalled the ground was possibly steeper than it looked, and the aircraft struck it “hard” at 1pm, seriously injuring both occupants.
Following the crash, air ambulance staff helped the passenger exit the plane with the help of some members of the public. The pilot, who was unconscious, was then removed from the aircraft before both were airlifted to hospital.
The passenger sustained serious injuries to his chest, spine and skull. The pilot sustained serious and, in some cases, life changing injuries to his head, neck, spine, chest and hips.
An investigation found the left-wing tip hit the ground first, followed by the left landing gear. The plane then rolled right as the right landing gear sustained such heavy impact that the right wing bent downwards at 50 per cent of its span.
The pilot’s seat had deformed and completely collapsed during the accident leaving the upper section of the seat frame resting on the cockpit floor. The passenger’s seat – which was on the right side of the aircraft – did not sustain as much impact as although deformed it remained attached to the cockpit floor. This is why the pilot received more significant injuries than the passenger.
Emergency procedures recommend that a pilot should first attempt to restore fuel flow – which can take 10 seconds – and prepare for an emergency landing. The passenger’s description of the pilot’s reaction of instead trying to re-start the engine suggest he was experiencing ‘fight or flight’, the report states.
It subsequently added: “Regularly self-briefing emergency procedures reduces the mental processing required by them, allowing the actions to become ‘conditioned’ responses. The act of performing a learned procedure can help a startled pilot rebuild situation awareness.”
In conclusion, the accident investigation report states the aircraft’s engine stopped because the fuel tank being used ran out of useable fuel. There was sufficient fuel in the remaining three tanks to complete the flight to Lydd Airport, but emergency checklists were not carried out as the went on to hit hilly ground.
Regularly self-briefing on these emergency procedures can reduce the risk and consequences of engine stoppage, it adds. The Civil Aviation Authority intends to include fuel management awareness in its safety promotional activities for this summer as a result of the crash.
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