Incident Summary
An aircraft struck trees while attempting a forced landing near Troy-Oakland Airport. The pilot reported that he had consumed all fuel from one tank and continued the flight while advising Detroit Approach of his fuel status.
Sequence of Events
Detroit Approach vectored the aircraft toward the airport. The pilot stated that he was unable to activate the runway lights by keying his microphone. He then circled the airport six times before initiating an approach for a downwind landing. While turning onto the base leg, the engine stopped due to fuel exhaustion, leading to the collision with trees.
The runway lights at Troy-Oakland were the subject of a NOTAM dated August 10, 1983, indicating they were out of service. The pilot had previously used this airport when the lights were partially inoperable.
Post-Accident Inspection
The day after the accident, the pilot and the airport manager checked the lights and found that 30 percent of them functioned properly. Additionally, the fuel injector control valve was discovered to be calibrated richer than the manufacturer's specifications called for.