An investigation into an air crash at Barton Aerodrome that left two men severely injured in April last year has concluded that fuel starvation may well have been the cause
The report out today by the UK’s Air Investigation Unit said that on the return flight from East Kirkby Airfield to Manchester Barton Aerodrome the aircraft performed two go-arounds.
On the second, the engine stopped just after the go-around was initiated. The aircraft dropped a wing and struck the ground within the perimeter of the airfield.
It was suspected that the engine failed due to fuel starvation, but the investigation did not establish if this was because the aircraft ran out of fuel or because the fuel supply was interrupted for another reason.
The aircraft was refuelled to full using super unleaded petrol from a jerrycan prior to departing Barton. With a full fuel tank, the endurance of the aircraft was approximately three hours and return flight was calculated to take 2 hours 22 minutes, a journey that the aircraft had done before
The pilot reported that the return flight to Barton used more fuel than anticipated, but he still felt comfortable that the fuel remaining would be sufficient to complete the trip.
The report though says that
The flight to East Kirkby took slightly longer than anticipated and there was a further 10 minutes delay before landing. In total, the flight took nearly 20 minutes longer than planned. It was a hot day, the aircraft was heavy but within limits, and it is possible that more power would have been required for cruise flight, increasing fuel consumption.
The pilot did not check the fuel at East Kirkby by dipping the tanks, instead relying on the wire gauge and float indicator within the fuel tank, but such indicator systems can be unreliable.
