Accident Details
The pilot of a Piper PA-28-140 reported that he estimated having about 12 gallons of fuel before starting the engine and departing for a breakfast fly-in. He climbed to a cruising altitude of 2,500 feet for the planned 35- to 40-minute flight. When the airplane was between 3.5 and 4 miles from the destination airport, the pilot initiated a descent to 2,000 feet and leveled off. The engine then sputtered. Initially suspecting carburetor ice, the pilot applied carburetor heat, turned on the boost pump, confirmed the mixture was full rich, and pumped the throttle. The engine subsequently stopped. The pilot then performed a forced landing into trees after determining that he could not reach the destination airport.
Investigation
The pilot stated that he had not experienced any mechanical issues with the airplane before the accident and that "the loss of engine power was due to fuel starvation." A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane and found that neither the left nor right main fuel tanks were ruptured. The left main fuel tank contained no fuel, while the right main fuel tank held approximately one cup of fuel.