Fuel Exhaustion During Ferry Flight Leads to Forced Landing in Forested Area (N9696)

Incident Overview and Pilot Report During a ferry flight, the pilot reported that the engine quit due to fuel exhaustion approximately one hour and forty-two minutes after departure. Following the loss of power, the aircraft was force-landed into a forested area, where it collided with trees and terrain. The pilot stated that the aircraft was calculated to have about two hours and twenty minutes of fuel on board when the flight originated. ## Fuel Planning and Operational Data The operator provided fuel burn data from previous flights to support the fuel planning. However, this data was based on a ground speed of about 78 knots, with 28 inches of manifold pressure and 2,000 RPM. The investigation revealed that the average ground speed during the accident flight was about 100 knots, which would have required a higher engine power setting than the one used in the previous flight data. ## Investigation Findings An examination of the aircraft wreckage revealed no evidence of a fuel leak. The investigation focused on the discrepancy between the fuel burn data used for planning and the actual operating conditions during the accident flight, specifically the higher ground speed and the resulting need for a higher engine power setting.