Incident Overview
On June 29, 2009, at 1030 central daylight time, a Cirrus SR22 G3 (registration N220TX) collided with a barbed-wire fence during a forced landing to a gravel road near Bastrop, Texas. The airplane was operated by Planesmart Aviation, LLC, of Addison, Texas. The certificated airline transport pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the repositioning flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight departed William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), Houston, Texas, approximately 0930, and was destined for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Austin, Texas. No flight plan was filed.
Preflight and Fuel Management
The pilot reported performing an "appropriate" pre-flight inspection, verifying oil and fuel quantities before departure. However, the fuel system design did not allow visual verification of fuel in the tanks unless the level was at the bottom of the tabs (67 gallons usable) or full (92 gallons usable). Instead, the pilot referenced the electronic fuel totalizer on the multi-function display, which indicated 42 gallons. After crosschecking with the fuel gauges, which "argued," he added 10 gallons of fuel to each tank (20 total). The total fuel capacity for the airplane was 94.5 total gallons, with 92 gallons usable.
According to the pilot, he and his passenger departed Austin at 0830 with an estimated 62 gallons of fuel on board. He was unable to program the fuel totalizer with the new quantity for unknown reasons, so he monitored the panel-mounted fuel gauges for both flight legs. The flight landed uneventfully in Houston, and the pilot did not purchase additional fuel for the return leg because "the primary fuel gauges indicated sufficient fuel for the return leg...including planned reserves." He then departed alone for Austin.
Engine Failure and Forced Landing
With 25 minutes remaining in the flight, the pilot noted that the fuel gauges indicated 10 gallons per side. His planning suggested 28 gallons should remain, but he considered gauge fluctuations normal and believed he had enough fuel for the destination plus 45 minutes. He planned to use the right tank until empty, then switch to the left tank for landing.
Over the next 10 minutes, the right fuel gauge dropped from 10 to 0 gallons. The fuel annunciator light illuminated, and the right tank was exhausted. The pilot switched to the left tank, which indicated 9 gallons. Shortly after, the fuel annunciator illuminated again, and the engine lost total power.
The pilot elected to land on a narrow gravel road between two large, open fields lined with barbed-wire fence, which he did not see until the landing flare. The road was too narrow for the airplane, and the wings collided with the fencing.
Post-Accident Examination
Examination revealed structural damage to both wings, but the fuel tanks were not breached. The three-bladed propeller sustained minor damage, and the landing gear was partially torn from the airplane. Fuel lines from the cockpit to each tank were intact with no evidence of leakage. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector who responded to the site reported that, with power applied, the left fuel gauge indicated approximately 2-3 gallons and the right gauge indicated 0 gallons.
Data from the primary flight display, remote data module, and multi-function display unit card were downloaded and analyzed. Combined with fueling records from Planesmart, the data revealed that the airplane departed Austin with approximately 38.2 gallons of fuel, not the 62 gallons the pilot estimated. Calculations showed that approximately 2.6 gallons remained onboard when the engine lost power, consistent with the fuel gauges observed at the accident site.