Accident Overview
A pilot planned a flight with an estimated duration of 5 to 5.5 hours and reported having approximately 7 hours of fuel on board. However, during the flight, the aircraft encountered headwinds that increased fuel consumption. As the aircraft approached its destination, the engine lost power after approximately 6 hours of flight. The pilot executed an emergency landing about 1 mile from the airport.
Landing and Damage
During the landing, the nosewheel struck a clump of grass and separated from the aircraft. The investigation found no preimpact part failure or malfunction that would have caused the accident. A fuel line was broken during the impact, allowing fuel to drain, which prevented verification of the exact amount of fuel on board at the time of the accident.
Fuel Analysis
The investigator estimated that 93.5 gallons of fuel would have been required under optimum conditions for the flight. The aircraft's fuel capacity was 90 gallons, of which 1 gallon was unusable. Despite the pilot's belief that there was still usable fuel on board when the engine lost power, and that the fuel selector was set to the fullest tank, the fuel quantity could not be confirmed due to the post-impact fuel loss.
Conclusion
The accident resulted from an engine power loss during approach, leading to an emergency landing that caused structural damage to the nose gear. The exact fuel quantity at the time of power loss remains undetermined.