Accident Overview
On April 30, 2008, at approximately 1130 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-160, registration N5426W, was substantially damaged during a forced landing in Richmond Hill, Georgia. The certificated private pilot and one passenger were seriously injured, while the other passenger incurred minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight from Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM), Kissimmee, Florida, to Fayetteville Regional Airport (FAY), Fayetteville, North Carolina. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Pilot's Account
The pilot reported that he first flew to Kissimmee on April 26, 2008, and upon arrival requested that the airplane's fuel tanks be "topped off." The following morning, he flew to Orlando Apopka Airport (X04), Apopka, Florida, to visit his son, then continued to Immokalee Airport (IMM), Immokalee, Florida, where the fuel tanks were again topped off. After departing Immokalee, the pilot flew locally for about 1.5 hours and then another 1.5 hours back to Kissimmee. Upon arrival, he requested that the airplane be "fully fueled" before his departure on April 30th.
On the morning of departure, the pilot paid for four nights of parking and 43 gallons of fuel at the fixed base operator. He did not remove the fuel caps to check the quantity, stating that he was holding a receipt for 43 gallons purchased. After takeoff, the pilot noted that the fuel gauges indicated half full for each tank, which he considered normal based on past experience.
About two hours into the flight, the fuel gauges still indicated approximately half full. Shortly thereafter, the engine sputtered and then lost all power. The pilot switched to the other fuel tank, which indicated about one-quarter full, and was able to restart the engine. He contacted Savannah Approach Control, declared an emergency, and turned toward an airport about 22 miles away. Approximately five minutes after declaring the emergency, the engine quit again, and the pilot could not restart it. He attempted a forced landing to a road and remembered descending past trees but did not recall anything else until waking up with emergency personnel assisting him.
Fueling History
According to a review of fuel receipts and a Kissimmee Jet Center Fuel Ticket, on April 26, 2008, the airplane was topped off with 42.3 gallons of fuel. On April 27, 2008, at Immokalee Airport, the airplane was fueled with 21.5 gallons of fuel. On April 30, 2008, at Kissimmee, the pilot paid for the 42.3 gallons of fuel that had been pumped on April 26th.
Additional Information
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector reported that the airplane struck trees and a transmission line before coming to rest nose down in a yard. There were no indications of engine power, and only trace amounts of fuel were found in the tanks with no significant fuel spillage at the scene. No mechanical anomalies were noted with the airplane. The pilot had obtained his private pilot certificate on April 23, 2008.