Aircraft Accident Involving Fuel Exhaustion During Sightseeing Flights (N8148R)

Accident Sequence and Witness Observations Witnesses reported that the airplane engine sputtered and lost power during the initial takeoff climb. The nose of the aircraft was observed to level out, after which the engine started and lost power again. The airplane then entered a steep left bank, estimated to be between 45 and 100 degrees. The nose pitched down, and two witnesses observed the aircraft level out before it collided with the ground. ## Fuel Indications and Operational History A friend of the pilot, who had flown in the airplane the day before the accident, stated that he believed the left main fuel gauge indicated empty and the right main fuel gauge indicated half full. There was no record indicating that the airplane had been refueled before the pilot began conducting sightseeing flights lasting 10 to 15 minutes each on the day of the accident. A passenger on the first sightseeing flight stated that she could not see both fuel gauges, but one fuel gauge was in the yellow range. A passenger on the second flight stated that the left fuel gauge indicated empty and the right fuel gauge was less than a quarter tank. The pilot flew a total of three flights before the accident flight without shutting the airplane down. ## Aircraft Fuel System and Limitations The Pilot's Operating Handbook states that the airplane would stall with flaps up at 75 knots with a 45-degree angle of bank, and at 85 knots with a 60-degree angle of bank. Section II, Limitations, of the Pilot Operating Handbook states not to take off if fuel quantity gauges indicate in the yellow band or with less than 13 gallons in each main tank. The airplane holds a total of 40 gallons of fuel in the left and right main fuel tanks, with three gallons of fuel unusable in each fuel tank. ## Post-Accident Findings The left and right main fuel tanks were ruptured, and there was no evidence of fuel or browning of vegetation at the crash site. Examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of a precrash mechanical failure or malfunction of the airframe, flight controls, or engine assembly and accessories.