Incident Summary
A pilot communicated with the tower that she was running out of fuel. According to her report, the aircraft experienced shaking and began losing altitude. It seemed to restart briefly before the engine quit completely. The pilot executed a landing in desert terrain. During the landing, the nose gear and left main landing gear were torn off, and the aircraft nosed over, coming to rest inverted.
Examination
An FAA inspector examined the aircraft after the incident. The inspector noted that the fuel lines and both fuel tanks were intact, but no fuel was visible in either tank. To test the engine, the inspector added approximately 1 gallon of fuel, making no other adjustments. The engine started on the first attempt and ran smoothly for several minutes without any abnormal sounds or indications.
Fuel Details
Prior to the flight from Tucson to Las Vegas, 40.7 gallons of fuel were added to the aircraft tanks following a landing at North Las Vegas. The aircraft's fuel system has a total capacity of 43 gallons, of which 40.7 gallons are usable.