Accident Overview
A fixed-wing aircraft struck a railroad bridge overpass while attempting a forced landing after the fuel supply was exhausted. The incident occurred when the pilot, unable to reach an airport, tried to land on a four-lane highway.
Flight Details
The flight departed from North Carolina bound for New Jersey, with an intermediate stop to drop off a passenger. At this stop, the pilot intended to refuel but was unable to do so as planned. Departing without refueling, the pilot overflew several other airports but could not establish contact via UNICOM at those locations.
Vectoring and Fuel Management
McGuire Approach Control provided the pilot with a vector of 288 degrees toward Trenton-Robbinsville Airport. During this portion of the flight, the right fuel tank ran dry, prompting the pilot to switch tanks to continue. When the pilot was unable to raise Trenton-Robbinsville on UNICOM, he continued on the 288-degree heading. Eventually, fuel was exhausted.
Final Attempt and Impact
After declaring an emergency, the pilot was vectored to a heading of 110 degrees toward the nearest airport. However, the aircraft could not reach that airport. The pilot attempted to land on a four-lane highway but instead crashed onto a railroad bridge overpass. An on-scene investigation confirmed that the aircraft had run out of fuel. Records indicate the aircraft departed with 50 gallons of fuel and flew for 4.1 hours, with a fuel burn rate of 12 gallons per hour.