Accident Details
On the fourth leg of an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) business flight from Stow, Ohio, to Santa Paula, California, the airplane experienced fuel exhaustion and crashed approximately 1.5 miles northeast of Falcon Field (FFZ) in Mesa, Arizona. The flight was conducted under the auspices of Kent State University's Flight Department.
Occupants and Crew
All occupants were certificated pilots, including two certified flight instructors. Among them was the university's Director of Flight Operations/Chief Flight Instructor. The pilot-in-command (PIC) for the accident segment was a certificated flight instructor.
Flight Plan and Fuel
The PIC noted on the flight plan an enroute flight time of 4 hours and a total fuel of 5 hours. The airplane's block time from takeoff to landing was 4 hours and 59 minutes.
Investigation
The post-accident investigation disclosed no evidence of any preexisting airplane malfunctions or failures.