A light aircraft which crashed into a field outside Castlebellingham, Co Louth, last year, injuring three people on board, had run out of fuel, an investigation has revealed.
A report by the Air Accident Investigation Unit found the Jodel DR1050-M aircraft experienced a loss of engine power approximately two hours into a flight from Kerry Airport to Aughrim Airstrip, Co Down, on February 7th 2025.
The aircraft stalled just before landing, impacted with the ground and ended up coming to rest upside down in a field in Bawn, Co Louth at around 4.30 pm.
The two pilots and one passenger on board were able to exit the plane unaided, although the French-built aircraft was destroyed.
The 87-year-old main pilot sustained broken vertebrae and whiplash injuries and required a stay in hospital for several days. The other two occupants sustained only minor cuts and bruises.
The AAIU report revealed that an examination of the aircraft found there was just 500ml of fuel in the front tank while the rear fuel was empty with no evidence of any fuel leak.
It also discovered the total fuel capacity of the two tanks was 100.3 litres, which was 9.7 litres less than the pilot believed.
The plane had flown earlier that day from Aughrim Airstrip in Co Down to Kerry Airport in a flight which lasted one hour and 48 minutes.
The main pilot told AAIU inspectors that the aircraft had been fully refuelled on the evening before the incident, while it was not refuelled at Kerry Airport prior to the return flight.
He said he knew the rear fuel tank was full when it overflowed at the filler neck.
The pilot said he hand-pumped fuel into the front tank and would stand on the aircraft’s main wheel to visually assess how close the fuel was to the top of the tank.
In reply to questions from the AAIU inspectors, he accepted that the front tank might not have been filled to the top prior to leaving Aughrim that day.
The report noted that the fuel gauge for the rear tank was not operating satisfactorily and had been disconnected, while a float-type indicator was used for the front fuel tank.
The main pilot acknowledged that while the indicator could be seen from the cockpit, it was not very satisfactory and not very accurate.
He described how he would use the rear tank during the cruise portion of flights until it “ran out” which he knew from when the “engine dies down a bit.”
The AAIU was informed that it was initially planned on the return flight to land at Navan Airfield for a social visit and refuel before continuing to Aughrim.
However, the pilots changed their plans as they got closer to Navan, as the weather had changed and they decided to proceed straight for home.
One of the pilots recalled that he had no concerns about fuel levels in the aircraft as it had “five and a half hours fuel endurance” with full tanks.
However, it emerged that the pilots had a discussion during the flight about the amount of remaining fuel but it was agreed they “should have enough fuel to make it home.”
The main pilot said the rear fuel tank was empty at 3.40 pm when they were just north of Shannon.
The report said the aircraft’s engine lost power “abruptly” about 15 minutes after they had flown over Navan.
The main pilot took over the controls from the other pilot in order to conduct a forced landing when attempts to restore engine power were unsuccessful.
The AAIU said using the fact that the engine “dies down a bit” as a prompt to change fuel tanks was “suboptimal from a safety standpoint.”
It also stated removing or disabling fuel indication equipment is not considered good practice as it could adversely affect the safe operation of aircraft.
Although the main pilot believed the capacity of the fuel tanks was greater than it actually was, the AAIU said the lower capacity should still have contained sufficient fuel for the return journey from Kerry Airport if the fuel tanks had been full before departing Aughrim.
The AAIU said it was probable that the aircraft departed Aughrim on the day “with less than full fuel.”
