Incident Details
A pilot on the first leg of a ferry flight to West Germany encountered fuel exhaustion approximately 15 miles from Charleston, resulting in a forced landing on a road. The aircraft had been airborne for about eight hours.
While 30 miles from Charleston, the pilot observed that the fuel gauges indicated approximately 5 gallons remaining in the left tank and 11 gallons in the right tank. The pilot continued toward Charleston while switching tank positions. Despite these efforts, fuel exhaustion occurred before reaching the airport.
Forced Landing
During the landing approach on a road, the right wing struck a power line. Examination of the aircraft after the event confirmed that both fuel tanks were empty.
Fuel System
The aircraft was equipped with an extra fuel tank with a capacity of 28 gallons. The presence of this additional tank was noted, but its use or status during the flight was not specified in the source.