Accident Overview
The airplane experienced a loss of engine power while flying over Lake Michigan. The pilot survived the ditching. The flight originated from Niagara Falls, New York, with a destination of Madison, Wisconsin. The pilot intended to complete the flight without a fuel stop. The total distance between the two airports is 454.8 nautical miles, and the route crosses Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.
Flight Details
The pilot departed with full fuel tanks, containing 48 gallons of usable fuel. According to airplane performance documentation, the fuel endurance at a 75% best power setting is about 4.5 hours, assuming a properly leaned engine. Fuel flow values for engine power settings greater than 75% are not listed in the documentation.
The pilot told a line technician at the departure airport that the flight was "planned for three hours and he had four hours of fuel on board."
Event Sequence
The accident flight lasted about 4 hours and 7 minutes, during which the airplane traveled approximately 390 nautical miles. The airplane flew over Muskegon County Airport in Muskegon, Michigan, just before crossing the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. At that point, the airplane had been airborne for about 3 hours and 24 minutes. The pilot decided to divert for fuel a few minutes before the fuel was completely exhausted. The fuel supply was exhausted after about 4 hours and 2 minutes of flight.
Prevailing winds aloft were out of the west, averaging 30 knots at the accident airplane's cruising altitudes.
Aftermath
The airplane was salvaged, and no mechanical anomalies were found.