Accident Sequence
The pilot planned a flight from Frederick, Maryland to Tallahassee, Florida. While on approach to Tallahassee Regional Airport, the engine lost power. The airplane collided with powerlines and crashed onto a road. The crash occurred 3 miles northeast of the airport during an emergency landing. The airplane struck electrical power lines and a pole. It impacted the ground nose first and remained in a near vertical position. The front of the airplane was in the grass at the southwest corner of an intersection.
Emergency Response
A Leon County Sheriff's Office representative heard dispatch radio communications to contact the local airport about an airplane having problems. He then observed an explosion at the top of the power lines on the southeast corner of the intersection. The entire city in the vicinity went dark. He observed flames raining down over the intersection. Approximately 6 to 8 people ran from a gas station on the southwest corner. He heard over dispatch radio "it's down, it's down" and observed an object strike the ground. He came to the aid of the pilot, the sole occupant. The pilot was secured by the seatbelt and pinned in the crashed cockpit area. Fire rescue extracted the pilot and transported him to the local hospital.
Investigation
The responding FAA inspector noted no post-crash fire and that the fuel tanks were empty at initial inspection. During an interview, the pilot admitted he was embarrassed because he ran out of fuel in flight. He stated, "I even rocked the wings to use every drop of fuel." The pilot had flown about 5 hours 34 minutes at the time of the accident and departed with 60 gallons of fuel.