Aircraft forced landing at Carnsore Point

By Dan Walsh

The forced landing of a Partenavia P68 Victor aircraft with a pilot and three passengers on board on the beach at Carnsore Point on September 23^rd, 2021, was “probably due to separate interruptions to the fuel supply of both engines while operating with low fuel levels”, the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) has concluded.

A report by the AAIU concluded the probable cause of the incident was interruptions to the fuel supply of each engine while operating at or below a quarter of the aircraft’s fuel tank capacity.

The French–registered twin-engine aircraft with a group of researchers from University College Cork on board had left Waterford Airport to record sightings of various marine wildlife off the Wexford coast.

The plan for the flight was to fly at low altitude along 16 predefined survey lines – each about 45km – along the south coast between Tramore and Carnsore Point.

The pilot carried out a forced landing on a beach after the left engine lost power as it approached land.

The pilot and one of the passengers sustained serious injuries, while the aircraft was destroyed with part of the wreckage washed away by the tide.

The other two passengers sustained minor injuries, despite their seatbelt brackets becoming detached from the aircraft floor panels because of the forced landing.

The pilot exited the aircraft through the windscreen which had broken on impact, while the passengers exited by the door.

The pilot and front seat passenger who sustained serious injuries were airlifted to hospital by an Irish Coast Guard helicopter, while the other two passengers were brought to hospital by ambulance.

An inspection of the wreckage found no mechanical problems with either aircraft engine that could have caused the forced landing.

The remaining fuel was drained from the aircraft’s two tanks and measured a total of 74 litres.

Following the incident, the operator of the aircraft amended its standard operating procedures and instructed all pilots to have a minimum fuel quantity of 100 litres at all times for a high-risk flight.