Flight Planning and Departure
The pilot rented a Piper PA-32-260 for a cross-country flight estimated to last three hours. He calculated fuel consumption at 14 gallons per hour for the flight. The aircraft carried five people and camping gear. The pilot filled both main fuel tanks and partially filled the left tip tank, totaling 60 gallons of fuel.
In-Flight Operations
After takeoff, the pilot climbed to 5,500 feet and set engine power to approximately 65 percent. The mixture was leaned to about halfway between full rich and idle cutoff. Within the first hour, the pilot noted the engine oil temperature near the upper end of the green arc and added about one inch of mixture control lever stroke.
The pilot first used fuel from the left tip tank until it was exhausted. For most of the remaining flight, he alternated between the left and right main fuel tanks every 30 minutes.
Fuel Management and Engine Failure
Approximately 30 minutes before arrival at the destination airport, while passing near an en route city, the pilot observed about 14 gallons of fuel remaining, which he equated to one hour of flight time. About halfway between that city and the destination, he descended to 3,500 feet. Shortly after, the left tank ran out of fuel. The pilot switched to the right tank, but about two miles from the destination, fuel was exhausted and the engine quit.
Forced Landing
The pilot glided toward the airport. The aircraft cleared trees, but the main landing gear clipped a perimeter fence. The airplane then landed on a road and rolled into a ditch.
Post-Accident Observations
Neither the pilot nor a Federal Aviation Administration inspector on scene noted any preimpact mechanical anomalies. Another airport was located about 20 miles closer and five miles to the right of the course to the destination airport.
Pilot Experience
The pilot reported 154 hours of total flight time, with 16 hours in the same make and model. He noted that, in hindsight, he wished he had calculated fuel burn prior to reaching the en route city.