AAIU issue preliminary report into crash of EI-HOG

The Air Accident Investigation Unit of the Department of Transport has issued a preliminary report into the crash of a Cessna 206 registered EI-HOG at Clonbullogue Co. Ofally on March 15 2009. The aircraft was registered to the Irish Parachute Club (IPC). The aircraft had been recently acquired by the IPC and was on it's sixth flight with the club when the incident occurred. While climbing through 9,000 ft the pilot reported a significant loss of power and instructed the parachutists to jump from the aircraft. The pilot attempted to recover to Clonbullogue airfield but the aircraft failed to reach the runway, touching down in a ploughed field. On impact the nose wheel collapsed and the aircraft pitched over and came to rest inverted. the pilot was uninjured. To date the investigation has revealed that when the fuel tanks were inspected it was found that the LH fuel tank was empty and the RH tank had 2 litres remaining. The aircraft had been fitted with an additional fuel bladder system outboard of the factory fitted centre fuel tank . The modification was approved by the US FAA. The modification involved plugging the original fuel filler cap and fitting an additional filler to the bladder. The only fuel level monitoring system was the factory fitted equipment about which the IPC had concerns. A calibrated dip stick and fuel flow meter were used as an alternative. The investigation found that there was a slow fuel transfer rate from the bladders into the main tanks which caused the dip stick to over read by approximately 100% if the fuel level was checked immediately after fueling. Allowing the contents to settle gave a true reading some minutes after fueling. Fuel starvation is the primary cause of crash being investigated at present. Pictured above in the copyright photograph by Mark Willis, EI-HOG is seen at Clonbullogue in August 2008.

Posted 090415