Incident
On a night flight, an airplane experienced a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, leading to a forced landing. During the landing attempt, the airplane collided with a tree, hit a power line, and impacted the ground near Conroe, Texas.
Flight Details
The flight originated from Searcy, Arkansas, with an intended destination of Waco, Texas (ACT). The airline transport pilot estimated a flight time of 3 hours 10 minutes and reported having 4 hours of fuel available. However, 2 hours and 33 minutes into the flight, the pilot amended the destination to Conroe (CXO) after receiving reports of instrument meteorological conditions at ACT and visual conditions at CXO.
Final Communications and Witness Account
At 4 hours and 12 minutes into the flight, the pilot received clearance for an instrument approach to runway 14 at Conroe. The pilot's acknowledgment of this clearance was the last radio communication from the airplane. The last radar return, at 4 hours and 20 minutes, showed the airplane 4 miles west-northwest of CXO. A witness observed the airplane flying over a road at a low altitude, appearing to attempt a landing, before colliding with a tree, striking a power line, and crashing to the ground.
Investigation
Examination of the accident site revealed no discolored vegetation or fuel odor. One of the two fuel tanks remained intact and contained only 6 ounces of fuel. The pilot, with approximately 25,000 total flight hours, had accumulated 8.6 hours in the accident airplane, including a 0.8-hour checkout flight and the accident flight.