What happened
During the initial climb phase after takeoff, the aircraft's engine suddenly lost power. Unable to maintain altitude or reach a suitable airfield, the pilot executed a forced landing on a nearby residential street. The aircraft sustained damage from the impact with the ground and surrounding structures.
The investigation
Following the accident, investigators examined the aircraft to determine the cause of the in-flight engine failure. A physical inspection of the fuel system revealed significant discrepancies in fuel quantity between the tanks. The left fuel tank was found to be nearly empty. In contrast, the right fuel tank contained approximately 10 gallons of usable fuel.
Findings
The investigation determined that the fuel exhaustion was caused by improper fuel management. For departure, the pilot had positioned the fuel selector switch to draw from the left tank. Because the left tank was depleted, the engine starved for fuel despite the presence of remaining fuel in the right tank. The failure to cross-feed or switch tanks resulted in the loss of power.
probable_cause: null tags: ["fuel exhaustion", "residential area landing", "initial climb"]