Accident to the Beech 18 registered G-BKGL on 14/09/2021 at Vescovato

Following an in-flight failure on 25 August 2021 which required the crew to divert to Bastia airport, the aircraft was parked for 20 days pending the arrival of the spare parts to replace one of the right engine cylinders. The day before the accident flight, the technician repaired the right engine in the presence of the pilot and the front passenger. The following morning, the pilot, who did not feel well, carried out the interior pre-flight checks. The front passenger carried out the exterior pre-flight inspection. The pilot checked the quantities of fuel remaining in the fuel tanks using the fuel indicator. He considered that the remaining quantity in the main fuel tanks was compatible with the envisaged post maintenance functional check flight and planned to refuel on completing
this flight.

The most probable hypothesis is that during the start-up, the fuel selectors were in the “Nose” position. The pilot thought that the front tanks were selected. He probably took off and carried out all the flight on the nose tank shared by the two engines, without being aware of this. At the end of the downwind leg, probably after having used all the available fuel in the nose tank, the right engine shut down. Based on this hypothesis, the left engine would have then suffered the effects of fuel starvation. This hypothesis is consistent with the position of the left and right fuel selectors on “Nose” observed on the wreckage, and the initial statement of the pilot about not having moved the selectors.

The pilot, who was no longer able to hold level flight and being too far from the runway to join it, was unable to avoid the collision with trees during the forced landing. His attention was focused on the aircraft’s flight path and he did not think to cut off the battery and magnetos nor to close the fuel power supply. During the collision with the trees, the right engine and right wing were torn off and a fire broke out.