What happened
The pilot and two passengers departed Limon, Colorado, at approximately 10:00 for a return flight to Center, Colorado. During the en route phase, the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 1,000 feet above ground level (AGL) to avoid high headwinds aloft. At 10:30, the pilot switched the fuel selector to the right tank. Ten minutes later, the engine lost power, prompting the pilot to initiate a forced landing west of Pueblo, Colorado.
The investigation
Post-accident examination revealed that the aircraft had run out of usable fuel. The pilot initially claimed that the right fuel gauge was faulty. However, he later stated that he departed Limon with 35 gallons of fuel aboard and must have consumed all available fuel from the right tank on an earlier flight. Crucially, the pilot admitted that he did not visually inspect the fuel tanks prior to departure from Limon.
Findings
The accident was caused by fuel exhaustion resulting from the pilot's failure to adequately preflight the aircraft. The pilot's decision to rely on potentially inaccurate fuel gauges without a visual confirmation of fuel quantity led to the depletion of usable fuel during flight.