Accident to the REIMS CESSNA F 150 M registered F-BXNO

who are type rated on this aeroplane were aware of this situation. He remembered having flown to an altitude of between 5,500 ft and 6,000 ft with an engine speed of 2,500 rpm. He stated that during the descent to 2,000 ft towards Montbéliard aerodrome, a parachute dropping operation had been taking place and that the pilot of the drop aeroplane had informed him that runway 26 was in use. At the beginning of the downwind leg for runway 26, the engine power had suddenly decreased (1,700 rpm displayed). The pilot had increased the power. This action had had no effect. He had checked the speed, the mixture setting and the magneto selection. He had changed the path to align with the threshold of runway 08, which was closer. He had maintained gliding speed and had announced a fuel exhaustion over the radio. During the approach, the engine had shut down completely and the propeller had stopped moving. (3) The regulatory final reserve fuel for aeroplanes equipped with piston engines is the amount of fuel required for a 30-minute flight by day and a 45-minute flight by night. 4/6 BEA2020-0206.en/September 2021 He stated that he had targeted an aiming point corresponding to the threshold turnaround bay of runway 08, but that the glide path, passing over trees, did not enable him to reach it. He had then eased the stick forwards to increase the speed and perform a pull-up manoeuvre. During the manoeuvre, he had heard the stall warning. The aeroplane had then hit the top of a tree and fallen practically vertically in the grass within the aerodrome. The pilot said that he had not been injured but that he had felt some back pain. 2.2.3. Passenger seated in the right front seat The passenger's statement corroborates the pilot’s statement. During the return cross- country flight, whilst they were flying over the Swiss-French border, he remembered that they had slightly changed the heading to avoid the rain, before starting the descent to 2,000 ft. He also stated that he had felt slight engine sputtering and then the engine speed had started to decrease. Despite the full power requirement, he stated that the engine speed in cruise flight had been 2,500 rpm and that the drop in rpm had occurred gradually. 2.3 Meteorological information On the day of the accident, the region was under overcast sky with localised showers over the Vosges and the Jura. Outside of the showers, visibility was greater than 10 km. The wind was light when the aeroplane took off from Grenoble Le Versoud aerodrome and landed at Montbéliard Courcelles aerodrome. In cruise flight at 5,000 ft, the average wind was 040° for 10 kt. 2.4 Aeroplane information The REIMS CESSNA F 150 M is equipped with a Continental ROLLS ROYCE 0-200 A engine. The last maintenance inspection (50-hour inspection) was on 3 June 2020 and several flights were performed between this inspection and the accident. The engine is supplied by two "Long Range" tanks, one in each wing. Each tank has a capacity of 72 litres, amounting to a total capacity of 144 litres, 11.5 litres of which cannot be used. The fuel is channelled by gravity to a valve and filter before being supplied to the carburettor. The supply valve is operated by means of a two-position selector switch (ON/OFF). The aircraft is not equipped with an audio alarm or warning light indicating a low fuel level. Each tank is equipped with a gauge combined with a pointer indicator on the dashboard. A graduated rod is used to measure the total amount remaining in each tank, including unusable fuel. The performance chapter of the flight manual states that for a flight performed at an altitude of 5,000 ft and with a 75% engine power (i.e. 2,700 rpm), the fuel consumption is 21.2 l/h. The consumption is 17.0 l/h at the same altitude, at 2,500 rpm. The flight manual also cautions that this data results from actual tests conducted with an aircraft in excellent flight condition. The manual points out that during the flight preparation, it is advisable to allow for a large safety margin regarding the reserve fuel upon arrival, as the figures given do not take into account factors such as wind, navigational errors, piloting technique, run-up or climb. 5/6 BEA2020-0206.en/September 2021 The examination of the aeroplane’s logbook was not able to accurately determine the amount of fuel in the wing tanks when the aeroplane took off for the accident flight. According to the statements, the total amount of fuel at take-off was 50 litres, which corresponds to a usable amount of fuel of approximately 38.5 litres and a maximum flying range of 2 hours and 15 minutes at 5,000 feet and 2,500 rpm in the flight manual conditions, without the 30-minute reserve fuel. The flight time could not be accurately determined based on the data available. A 10-minute start-up and taxiing time plus the estimated five- minute flight time to join the first recorded point result in a total estimated flight time of approximately two hours. 2.5 Similar occurrences A bibliographical research of the BEA and NTSB databases brought to light an occurrence of fuel exhaustion similar to F-BXNO, on a REIMS/CESSNA 150 registered N7089F(4), with approximately 15 litres of fuel recovered from the tanks, a quantity slightly higher than the unusable value. The NTSB safety report specified that in Cessna's “Pilot Safety and Warning Supplements” handbook, in the fuel management section, it states, “The shape of most airplane wing tanks is such that in certain flight maneuvers, the fuel may move away from the fuel tank supply outlet. If the outlet is uncovered, fuel flow to the engine may be interrupted and a temporary loss of power might result.” 2.6 Airworthiness The airworthiness and registration certificates are in order and valid. The flight manual, in Section 1 General, provides a list of mandatory regulatory equipment for the use of the aeroplane in night VFR and IFR flights. It does not contain the minimum equipment list for day VFR flight. F-BXNO is an ELA1(5) aircraft for which Annex VII, Part NCO of Regulation (EU) No. 965/2012(6) applies in the context of non-commercial air operations. Point NCO.GEN. 155 of Annex VII stipulates that a minimum equipment list (MEL) may be established by the operator. The MEL is a document that provides for “the operation of the aircraft, under specified conditions, with particular instruments, items of equipment or functions inoperative at the commencement of the flight”. In addition, point NCO.IDE.A.105 of this Annex VII requires that any of the aeroplane instruments, items of equipment or functions required for the flight must be operative, unless the aeroplane is operated in accordance with the MEL established by the operator, or unless a permit to fly has been issued in accordance with the airworthiness requirements. In this event, the fuel indicator on the aeroplane’s instrument panel was found to be inoperative by the pilot and the members of the flying club who were type rated on this aeroplane. The F-BXNO did not have a MEL, so the fuel indicator had to be operative before any flight. AIR-OPS, NCO.OP.185, In-Flight Fuel Management, further specifies that the pilot-in- command must “check at regular intervals that the amount of usable fuel [..] remaining in flight is not less than the fuel required to proceed” and that the planned reserve fuel is sufficient to reach a weather-permissible aerodrome or operating site. (4) https://www.ntsb. gov/_layouts/ntsb. aviation/ Results.aspx?queryId= b23c8af5-ca1f-491e- 9594-31bff15b508d (5) European Light Aircraft with a Maximum Take-Off Mass (MTOM) not exceeding 1,200 kg that is not classified as complex motor- powered aircraft. (6) COMMISSION REGULATION of 5 October 2012, known as AIR-OPS, laying down technical requirements and administrative procedures related to air operations. 6/6 BEA2020-0206.en/September 2021 3 - CONCLUSIONS The conclusions are solely based on the information which came to the knowledge of the BEA during the investigation. They are not intended to apportion blame or liability. Scenario The pilot took off with a total of 50 litres of fuel, which he thought would give him the necessary flying range of two-and-a-half hours to perform the return flight of an estimated duration of one hour and forty-five minutes, with a final reserve fuel of 30 minutes. In reality, his flying range was a maximum of two hours and fifteen minutes, without the reserve fuel. During the downwind leg, after a flight time of about two hours, the unpriming of the fuel system resulted in a complete engine shut-down. Contributing factors The following factors may have contributed to the occurrence of the fuel exhaustion and the collision with the obstacles: ˆ The decision to proceed with the flight in the absence of information to alert the pilot to the low amount of fuel remaining, due to the inoperative fuel indicator and the lack of a low fuel level warning system on this aeroplane. ˆ An erroneous assessment, during flight preparation, of the minimum amount of fuel required to undertake the flight due to unusable fuel in the tanks.