Accident Summary
The airplane nosed over in a ditch during an off-airport forced landing following a loss of engine power.
Pilot Actions
The pilot reported that he had topped off the airplane with fuel on the day prior to the accident, after which he made a 30-minute flight. On the day of the accident, he checked the fuel by looking in the tanks and measuring the quantity, indicating approximately 20 gallons of fuel prior to the accident flight, which lasted 1 hour. While in the landing pattern and having just turned base to final, the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine without success and, unable to glide to the runway, elected to land on a nearby road.
Sequence of Events
During the landing roll, the right wing tip collided with a road sign. The airplane then veered into a ditch and nosed over.
Aircraft Examination
The fuel capacity of the airplane is 26 gallons, of which approximately 3.5 gallons are unusable. Personnel who recovered the wreckage stated there was no evidence of fuel leakage from the airplane when it was inverted on the ground. However, fuel was noted to be leaking from the doorpost area when the airplane was being moved upright. Inspection revealed that a headliner support tube had been rubbing on the right tank fuel line located in the top of the cockpit area, and a hole was visible in the fuel line. The cockpit roof in that area had also sustained crush damage as a result of the airplane flipping inverted. There were no visible signs that fuel had been leaking from the hole prior to the accident, nor did the pilot report having noticed an odor of fuel in the cockpit.
Post-Accident Testing
The airplane was turned upright, and the master switch was turned on. The right fuel quantity indicator showed the tank was empty, and the left quantity indicator showed the left tank contained one-quarter tank of fuel. A total of 2.5 gallons of fuel were drained from the airplane. The fuel quantity indicators were checked again, and both indicated empty. Five gallons of fuel were then added to each tank, after which both indicators showed one-quarter tank. The hole in the fuel line was patched, and the engine was started and ran without interruption.
Additional Findings
It was noted that non-vented fuel caps were installed on the airplane. Vented fuel caps were required to be installed per FAA Airworthiness Directive 79-10-14 R1, Amendment 39-5901.