What happened
The pilot flew to the Air National Guard Base to perform military duties as a medical officer. Following these duties, the pilot provided a 30-minute orientation flight to a service member before departing for his home airport.
Approximately two miles from the destination, the pilot issued a Mayday call, stating that he was out of fuel and unable to reach the airport. The pilot subsequently performed a forced landing into the westbound lanes of a highway, where the aircraft collided head-on with a van.
The investigation
An examination of the wreckage showed no odor of fuel at the crash site. Investigators drained one gallon of fuel from the tanks. The aircraft's total fuel capacity was 26 gallons, with 24.5 gallons being usable. According to the hobbs meter, the flight time since the pilot's first takeoff was 3.8 hours. At the time of the accident, the pilot had 99 hours of total flight experience, including approximately 59 hours in this specific make and model.