Incident Overview
A pilot departed on a flight with 55 gallons of fuel, planning a 3.2-hour trip to the destination airport. According to the pilot's report, the aircraft proceeded normally toward its destination. However, when the airplane was 12 miles north of Reno Cannon International Airport, it sustained a total power loss due to fuel exhaustion.
Fuel Consumption Analysis
Aircraft records and the Hobbs meter indicated that the airplane had operated for 4.5 hours at the time of the power loss. Fuel consumption calculations, based on the pilot's statement of fuel capacity, disclosed that total fuel exhaustion would have occurred in about 4.4 hours, with a margin of plus or minus 0.3 hours. The discrepancy between the planned flight time of 3.2 hours and the actual endurance suggests that the fuel onboard was insufficient for the duration of the flight.
Conclusion
The investigation determined that the total power loss was caused by fuel exhaustion. No other factors were identified in the source material.