Wanting to get home faster, a plane pilot forgets to check the fuel level, breaks down and makes an emergency landing

Un pilote d'avion condamné après être tombé en panne d'essence. (illustration) Avel Chuklanov sur Unsplash

This Monday, March 25, 2024, a man was fined 1,000 euros for operating an aircraft that did not comply with safety rules, due to a breakdown. fuel.

A mistake that costs him dearly. A man who was piloting a small passenger plane ran out of fuel mid-flight. He had not checked the fuel level of the aircraft before takeoff and was therefore sentenced this Monday by the Mulhouse court (Haut-Rhin), reports the daily L’Alsace.

An emergency landing

The pilot was on board this small aircraft with two friends. They had taken off from Annecy in Haute-Savoie and were heading to Habsheim. But very quickly, the man realizes that there is a problem: the fuel level is at its lowest and he has been forced to make an emergency landing at Dannemarie.

Fortunately, more out of fear than harm, there were no injuries, but an investigation was still opened into "driving ;rsquo;an aircraft not complying with safety rules", reports Ouest France.

Explanations

At the hearing, the pilot was able to speak and give his version of the facts on the incident. He indicates that he left earlier than expected due to a weather alert, but also because he wanted to get home faster in order to be present at his partner's first Mother's Day.

The man accused adds that he had already made a return trip between the two aerodromes, without replenishing fuel. "I’could have settled in Montbéliard. I don't understand. I made a bad decision, he explained.

But this error will not soften the justice system, which sentences him to a fine of 1,000 euros. He was also suspended for four months by his club. He finally decides to stop stealing completely…