Accident Overview
On July 26, 2008, at approximately 1745 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-12 airplane, registration N4361M, performed a forced landing in a residential area of Rio Grande, New Jersey. The forced landing followed a complete loss of engine power. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, and the commercial pilot received serious injuries.
Flight Circumstances
The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The purpose of the flight was to tow a banner, and it had departed Lakewood, New Jersey around 1345 EDT.
Engine Power Loss
Approximately four hours into the flight, the engine began sputtering and eventually stopped completely. The pilot reported that, at the cruise power setting being used at the time of the power loss, calculations based on fuel burn data gathered throughout the previous month indicated that 15 to 20 minutes of fuel remained in the tanks.
Fuel Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the fuel tanks at the accident site and found them to be empty.
Pilot's Recommendation
In the recommendations section of the pilot report, the pilot stated: "In order to reduce my total flight time and land with required fuel minimums, I should have turned inland at an earlier point."