Incident Overview
During a return flight from Morrisville, Vermont, an aircraft experienced a complete loss of power. The pilot in command elected to land the aircraft in a cul-de-sac within a residential neighborhood. Subsequent investigation determined that the aircraft contained less than one gallon of fuel at the time of the landing.
Flight History and Fuel Management
Both pilots had departed from an airport (designated as PXT in the report) four days earlier, making an en route stop to pick up their wives. Prior to departure, five gallons of fuel had been drained from the aircraft to ensure proper weight and balance. Upon arriving at Morrisville (MVL), the pilots read the fuel gauges, calculated fuel consumption, and decided to add 40 gallons of fuel. However, they did not physically check the amount of fuel in the tanks before departing MVL.
Fuel Exhaustion and Pilot Actions
Fuel exhaustion occurred approximately three hours after departure. The fuel gauges had indicated empty well before that point. The pilot could have landed the aircraft before the fuel was exhausted.