Engine Power Loss During Return Leg of Cross-Country Flight (N2201G)

Incident Overview and Flight Details A private pilot was returning from a cross-country flight when the engine lost power and eventually quit about three miles from the destination airport. The pilot made a forced landing in a stand of pine trees. The pilot had calculated the required fuel for the trip as 41 gallons and stated that the aircraft began the trip with 55 gallons, measured using a wooden dipstick supplied with the aircraft. During the return leg, the pilot estimated that headwinds were 15 mph faster than predicted. ## Post-Accident Examination Examination of the wreckage revealed one quart of fuel in the left tank and 4.5 gallons in the right tank. There was no evidence of fuel leakage. The engine ran satisfactorily on the airframe after the accident. The aircraft type certificate data specifies that up to 10 gallons of fuel is unusable on this model of aircraft.