Forced Landing After Engine Failure During Return Flight (N1096W)

Flight Details and Initial Conditions Before a 2,174-hour commercial pilot return flight to his home airport, the airplane was serviced with 54 gallons of fuel, bringing the total fuel on board to 74 gallons. The flight manifest for October 25 showed the airplane airborne for 2 hours and 18 minutes, with takeoff at 1740 and landing in Houston at 1958. The airplane had two 40-gallon wing fuel tanks, each with 37 gallons useable. The operator planned for an 18-gallons/hour fuel burn during cruise and 22-gallons/hour during climb. ## Accident Sequence On October 26, the pilot departed at approximately 16:40 for a 221-nautical-mile flight. During the flight, the pilot decided to return to the airport because of bad weather and moderate to heavy turbulence. About 40 minutes after departure, the engine quit. The pilot ran the checklist, which included switching fuel tanks from right to left, turning on the electric fuel pump, applying full rich mixture, and turning the magnetos left, right, and both. The engine did not restart, and the pilot elected to land in a field. During the forced landing, the nose gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest nose down. ## Fuel Observations The pilot reported that after landing he looked in each fuel tank and observed sufficient quantities of fuel. The following morning, with the airplane still tipped up on its nose, an FAA inspector observed that the left fuel tank was empty and the right tank had about an inch of fuel. During salvage retrieval, recovery personnel drained 21 gallons of fuel from the right fuel tank and found approximately 1 quart in the left tank. Environmental personnel reported no sheen or soil staining in the crash area and no fuel spill during recovery. The pilot told the NTSB IIC that he visually checked the fuel level before the flight and both tanks were at the three-quarter full level. On NTSB form 6120.1, he reported 46 gallons of fuel on board and that he used approximately 1 gallon before departure. ## Post-Accident Examination The airplane was transported to a salvage yard and examined. The fuel lines and vents were clear and unobstructed. The two wing drain ports were undamaged with no evidence of leakage. Both wing fuel tanks were not breached in the accident sequence. The engine's fuel servo fuel-screen was removed and was in good condition with no debris. Other than a bent propeller, the engine did not appear to have sustained impact damage. The engine was fitted with a test propeller and a fuel container was attached to the left-side fuel line. The engine oil read 11 quarts on the dipstick. The electric fuel pump operated and was used to prime the engine. The engine was started and run for about 5 minutes, then shut down. The fuel container was switched to the right-side fuel line, and the engine was started and run for another 5 minutes. During the runs, the engine reached full power, oil pressure was normal, and the left-right magneto drop was between 50 and 60 rpm. No abnormalities were found with engine operation.