Accident to the Socata MS 880 B registered F-GBCR on 07/07/2018 at Saône (25)

The pilot planned to perform a local flight with a passenger lasting a little more than one hour from Besançon-La Vèze aerodrome (Doubs). During the pre-flight inspection, he visually checked both tanks for fuel. He made a second check, this time describing his actions out loud for the benefit of his passenger, who had no flying experience. The pilot took off at about 14:30 from paved runway 05, i.e., approximately five minutes after the start of taxiing. At the very beginning of the initial climb, the engine misfired. The pilot made various inputs on the engine controls, but to no avail. He announced an engine problem over the AFIS frequency, then slightly deviated his path to the right. The aircraft struck some street lamps and then brushed the downward slope of the roof of a hangar, damaging its landing gear. It then struck the ground in a yard with a slight nose-down attitude. The windscreen of a vehicle travelling towards the aircraft was damaged by the leading edge of the aircraft’s right wing. The aircraft was brought to a halt when it hit a metal post about 25 m from the building.

The decrease in engine power output during the initial climb was caused by a fuel supply failure. This occurred because, during flight preparation, a tank containing virtually no usable fuel had been selected.