Flight Details
The accident occurred during a 307-nautical mile round-robin cross country flight conducted by a private pilot with 519 hours of flight experience. The pilot was operating a single-engine airplane.
Attempts to Refuel
During the return leg, the pilot decided to land at an intermediate airport to purchase additional fuel. However, it was a national holiday and no one answered the pilot's repeated calls to the "after-hours" phone number. The pilot then asked another pilot for the location of the nearest airport where fuel could be purchased and was directed to an airport approximately 20 miles away. Upon arrival, the pilot was unable to make radio contact with anyone at the fixed base operator (FBO) to facilitate fuel purchase.
Subsequently, the pilot elected to fly to a much larger airport about 34.4 nautical miles beyond his current position, where he knew fuel was available. The pilot reported encountering a significant headwind but calculated that he had sufficient fuel on board to complete the flight.
Engine Power Loss and Impact
When the airplane was established on final approach to the larger airport, the engine stopped producing power. The airplane subsequently impacted trees and terrain approximately one mile short of the runway.
Fuel Examination
Examination of the airplane's fuel system revealed that approximately 1.5 gallons of fuel remained onboard at the time of the accident.