Accident Overview
A Piper PA-28-180 aircraft was involved in an accident after the engine lost power during cruise flight. The pilot, who had accumulated 94 hours of total flight experience including about 13 hours in the same make and model, performed a forced landing into trees. The airplane struck 50-foot tall trees before impacting the ground.
Fuel Management
According to the pilot, the fuel tanks were topped off before departure, providing a total usable capacity of 44 gallons. The pilot leaned the fuel mixture during the flight and anticipated an endurance of 4.6 hours. However, the engine lost power after approximately 3 hours 35 minutes of flight. Examination of the wreckage and accident site revealed no evidence that either fuel tank contained an appreciable amount of fuel at the time of impact.
Pilot Experience
The pilot reported 94 hours of total flight experience, with about 13 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane (Piper PA-28-180).