Flight Details
A pilot reported that he departed Van Nuys, California, with 38 gallons of fuel on board, intending to fly northwest to Rohnerville, California, a trip he expected to take 3 hours 30 minutes. After departure, the pilot believed he was following Interstate 5 but became confused when he did not recognize landmarks. He later realized he had inadvertently followed Highway 14 through Palmdale, California. When the airplane was north of Palmdale, he corrected his course toward Interstate 5 and his destination.
Descent and Navigation
The pilot descended from 8,500 feet mean sea level (msl) to 2,500 feet msl in an attempt to find smooth air and the fastest ground speed. He then climbed to 4,500 feet msl and flew at 110 miles per hour ground speed, as indicated by his global positioning system (GPS). He did not keep track of elapsed time from takeoff because he had previously made the trip to his refueling stop, Santa Rosa, California, in 3 hours.
Forced Landing
As the pilot began a descent into Santa Rosa, at 800 feet above ground level (agl), the engine rpm dropped abruptly. The pilot realized the airplane had run out of fuel. He executed a forced landing into a vineyard near the airport. At the time of the accident, the Hobbs meter showed an elapsed flight time of 4.4 hours. The pilot indicated that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.
Weather Conditions
At 1700 Pacific daylight time, winds aloft at Oakland International Airport were reported from 290 degrees at 14 knots at 2,585 feet msl. At 4,950 feet msl, winds were from 320 degrees at 21 knots. At 6,351 feet msl, winds were from 324 degrees at 22 knots.