Skydiving Flight Ends Forced Landing with Nose-Over After Fuel Starvation

Narrative

The pilot of an airplane involved in skydiving operations reported that he fueled the aircraft for two flights with skydivers and an additional thirty minutes of reserve fuel. During the second approach, the pilot had to adjust his intended flight path to avoid other airplane traffic. As he decreased the pitch of the airplane on final approach, the engine "sputtered" and lost power. The pilot subsequently landed the airplane in a field; however, during the landing roll, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. This resulted in substantial damage to the left wing spar.

Pilot Statement

The pilot reported to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that the airplane had experienced fuel starvation and that he did not maintain the required reserve fuel. The pilot further indicated that his recommendation to avoid a similar accident would be to carry more fuel.

Damage

Substantial damage was sustained to the left wing spar. No other damage was specified in the report.