Accident Overview
A pilot conducting an aerial observation mission in a left-hand circular pattern at about 500 feet above ground level reported that the engine lost power when he attempted to climb out of turbulence. The pilot stated that he believed the turbulence was caused by prop wash from a previous turn. He rolled the wings level and added full power, but the engine did not respond to the power setting. The airplane settled and went down in an area of pine trees.
Pilot and Passenger Observations
The passenger/observer, seated in the back, reported looking forward and seeing the pilot "fighting with the controls" before impact. Both the pilot and the passenger stated that they could smell fuel leaking from the airplane after the accident. However, several first responders at the scene did not smell fuel and observed no visible fuel leaks. One first responder reported smelling fuel but could not determine its origin.
Post-Accident Examination
An examination conducted by the engine and airplane manufacturers determined that the fuel tanks were intact with no breaches. Inspection of the fuel system confirmed fuel line continuity. Small amounts of fuel were drained from the tanks. However, photographs taken by sheriff's department detectives showed a large blue fuel stain on the right wing, extending from the fuel tank filler cap to the wing leading edge. Notably, the airplane had been in an extreme nose-low position for approximately 42 hours before investigators drained the fuel tanks.
Fuel Records
According to the Pilot's Information Manual, the airplane's usable fuel capacity is 40 gallons. Airplane flight logs indicated that the airplane's fuel endurance was approximately 7.98 gallons per hour. Fueling and flight records showed that the airplane was last topped off with 15.93 gallons on August 29. After that fueling, the airplane had flown 2.2 hours before the accident flight.