Incident Summary
An aircraft operating under instrument flight rules at night experienced fuel exhaustion while en route. The pilot was given vectors toward a highway for a forced landing but did not reach the intended area, crashing on rising terrain at an elevation of approximately 4,000 feet. No pre-impact issues with the airframe or engine were discovered other than the fuel shortage.
Fuel and Flight History
Evidence indicated that the aircraft had been fully refueled on December 3, 1986, and had accumulated about 4 flight hours before the accident flight. No records of additional fueling were located. The aircraft's fuel capacity was 88 gallons, with 4 gallons considered unusable. Flight manual data estimated that nearly 88 gallons of fuel had been consumed since the last documented refueling.
Weather Observations
At 1838 Pacific Standard Time, the Las Vegas weather station, positioned about 26 miles north-northeast of the accident, reported broken clouds at 400 feet, overcast at 1,500 feet, visibility of 4 miles in fog and light rain. The station elevation was 2,174 feet.
Pilot Information
A medical examination on March 9, 1986, recorded the pilot's total flight experience as 2,930 hours.