Flight History
The aircraft was on the return leg of an out-and-back night cross-country flight. It departed Killeen, Texas, with 26 gallons of fuel on board. According to reports, it had 18 gallons of fuel when it departed Dallas, Texas. The flight initially operated under visual flight rules (VFR) without a flight plan.
Weather and ATC
During the return trip, the winds were observed to be considerably stronger than forecasted. Approximately 4 miles south of McGregor, Texas, the flight encountered deteriorating weather conditions, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance to Killeen was obtained. The aircraft was subsequently vectored for an instrument landing system (ILS) localizer approach.
Engine Power Loss
In the vicinity of the outer marker, the engine lost power. Following the loss of power, the aircraft collided with trees during a night landing.
Fuel Remaining
The elapsed time after departure from Dallas was 2 hours and 28 minutes. Based on a cruise fuel flow of 6.5 gallons per hour, approximately 1.75 gallons of fuel would have been remaining at the time of the engine power loss. Approximately 1.5 gallons of fuel for this aircraft is unusable.