Incident Overview
A cross-country flight lasting 4 hours and 24 minutes ended with an engine power loss 8 nautical miles from the intended destination. The pilot initially planned a forced landing on a highway but elected to land adjacent to the roadway due to traffic. During the landing rollout, the airplane encountered a ditch, subsequently impacted a tree, and came to a stop.
Flight Details
When the flight was 13 nautical miles from the destination, the pilot asked air traffic control to check the availability of fuel at an airport the airplane was passing over. The controller was unable to confirm fuel availability. The right fuel gauge was indicating nearly empty, but the pilot decided to continue the flight. The pilot stated that he thought the airplane would reach the destination without difficulty because he had exhausted the fuel in the left tank earlier in the flight. He noted that the fuel gauge had registered empty for approximately 20 minutes before the engine quit.
Landing and Aftermath
The forced landing occurred adjacent to a highway. The airplane struck a ditch and a tree before coming to a stop. Post-accident examination revealed no leakage or spillage of fuel at the accident site. The right fuel tank was found to be empty.