Incident Overview
A training flight involving a pilot and a certified flight instructor (CFI) experienced three separate engine power losses during the flight. After the first two occurrences, the pilot was able to restore engine power by switching fuel tanks. Following the third power loss, attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful.
Preflight Fuel Assessment
Before departure, the pilot visually checked the fuel quantity and estimated approximately 30 gallons of fuel in the tanks. The fuel gauges indicated adequate fuel levels at the time of the flight. The duration of the flight was about 45 minutes.
Post-Crash Examination
After the accident, an examination of the aircraft revealed that both fuel tanks were empty. The discrepancy between the preflight estimate and the post-crash findings suggests that the fuel was not present at the time of the engine power losses.
Sequence of Events
The engine lost power on three separate occasions during the flight. On the first two instances, the pilot switched fuel tanks and successfully restored engine power. On the third instance, the engine could not be restarted, leading to the accident.