Accident Narrative
The pilot of a single-engine airplane planned a flight with an en route time of about 3 hours, but the actual flight time extended to 3 hours and 40 minutes. As he approached his destination, he encountered overcast skies with thick clouds. To remain clear of the clouds, he flew inland and descended to a low altitude. He then turned back toward his destination airport. While the airplane was level at 1,500 feet under the overcast, approximately 10 miles north of his destination, the engine power dropped to zero. The engine briefly restarted and stopped two more times.
The pilot set up for a forced landing on an interstate highway. Concerned about the possibility of colliding with a car, he pulled the nose up into a full stall. The airplane hit the ground hard; the right wing struck a road sign, and the impact spun the airplane into a fence.
Post-Accident Examination
After the accident, recovery personnel drained no fuel from the right fuel tank and only two drops from the left tank. They recovered less than three ounces of fuel from the fuel sump. During a follow-up inspection, investigators supplied the engine with fuel. The engine started successfully, and they completed normal run-up checks of the magnetos and propeller. The engine was run to full power without any discrepancies being discovered.
Aircraft Modification
The airplane had been modified from its original configuration. The original 145-horsepower Continental engine had been replaced with a 180-horsepower Textron Lycoming engine equipped with a constant-speed propeller. The FAA accident coordinator examined the airplane but did not find any supplements or revisions to the airplane flight manual related to the engine modification.
Probable Cause
The official accident investigation did not state a probable cause for this event.