What happened
The aircraft departed from an airport in New Jersey with a planned enroute stop intended for dropping off a passenger. During this stop, the pilot was unable to refuel as originally planned. Consequently, the pilot departed the location and overflew other visible airports because he could not establish radio contact via UNICOM.
McGuire Approach Control provided the pilot with a heading of 288 degrees directed toward the Trenton-Robbinsville airport. While following this vector, the right fuel tank became empty. The pilot switched to the alternate tank to continue the flight. When the Trenton-Robbinsville airport could not be contacted on UNICOM, the pilot continued along the 288-degree heading until the aircraft experienced complete fuel exhaustion.
The pilot declared an emergency and was subsequently vectored to a heading of 110 degrees toward the nearest available airport. Unable to reach that destination, the pilot attempted to land on a four-lane highway. The aircraft collided with a railroad bridge overpass during this forced landing attempt.
The investigation
An on-scene investigation confirmed the state of fuel exhaustion as the primary condition of the crash. Records indicated that the aircraft departed with 50 gallons of fuel and flew for 4.1 hours. The fuel consumption rate was recorded at 12 gallons per hour.
Findings
The sequence of events was driven by fuel exhaustion after the pilot failed to refuel at the planned stop. Contributing factors included the inability to contact air traffic facilities on UNICOM, which led to overflying potential landing sites and continuing on an incorrect heading until fuel reserves were depleted.
Safety message
Pilots must ensure adequate fuel supplies are secured before departing a stopover location. If refueling is not possible, alternative plans should be implemented immediately rather than overflying airports in hopes of establishing radio contact.