Accident Overview
The pilot of an aircraft reported that he had the aircraft refueled prior to departure from Sarasota. He questioned the line person who performed the refueling but did not visually check the fuel quantity himself. The pilot stated that he was aware the fuel quantity gauges were inaccurate, so he always flew by elapsed time.
Sequence of Events
While approaching Charlotte, North Carolina from the south, the pilot contacted approach control and indicated that he would land at Rock Hill, South Carolina. After some consideration, he changed his destination to Charlotte, which was approximately 14 miles away. He was being radar vectored for a landing on runway 18L at Charlotte when the engine lost power. The pilot radioed that he had run out of fuel and was looking for a place to land.
Landing and Impact
The airplane touched down on a small lake, became airborne again, and collided with trees at the edge of the lake. No evidence of fuel was found at the site.