Accident Overview
On April 3, 2022, at 1310 Pacific daylight time, a Sonerai II L, registration N333BM, sustained substantial damage in an accident near Jean, Nevada. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries. The flight was conducted as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Pilot Account
The pilot stated that he departed from Kingman, Arizona, with the intention of landing at his home airport in North Las Vegas, Nevada. Prior to the flight, he added 3.8 gallons of fuel but did not know the total amount of fuel on board at departure. During the flight, he encountered strong headwinds but believed he had sufficient fuel. En route, he opted to divert to Jean, Nevada, because of gusty wind conditions in Kingman. Upon arrival near Jean, the pilot made a low pass over the airport to evaluate the wind conditions. While maneuvering to land on runway 20, the engine lost power. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude, and the airplane collided with desert terrain about 0.5 miles north of the approach end of the runway.
Fuel System Examination
Personnel from the Clark County Fire Department responded to the accident site. They visually examined the fuel quantity indicator and observed that the fuel tank was empty. This was confirmed by opening the fuel cap and inserting a dipstick. The airplane's fuel system was gravity-fed, with an aluminum 10-gallon tank mounted in front of the instrument panel. Inside the tank, a finger screen was located at the outlet, and a vent output port was at the top. The vent port connected to a T-fitting, with one clear plastic tube routed to the instrument panel and back to the bottom of the tank. This tube had a series of colored tie-raps that served as a fuel quantity indicator. The other tube on the T-fitting was routed to the bottom of the airplane and functioned as a vent. Fuel flowed from the tank to a shutoff valve, then through fittings and a gascolator on the engine side of the firewall, and then to a fuel injector unit. From there, the fuel-air mixture entered the intake manifold and cylinders. The majority of fuel pipe fittings had Teflon tape on the threads.
Postaccident Findings
A postaccident examination revealed no fuel onboard the airplane. The fuel system remained unbreached except where the gascolator drain was compromised. The gascolator was clean with no debris in the screen. The tapered fuel needle remained in the fuel orifice, and the throttle slide was in a partially open position, consistent with near full throttle. Investigators were able to manually rotate the crankshaft by turning the remaining propeller blades. Valvetrain continuity was observed, with equal lift action at each rocker assembly, and oil was found in the rocker box areas on all cylinders. The upper spark plugs were removed from all cylinders and were light gray/white in color, consistent with lean to normal engine operation. A borescope examination revealed no foreign object damage, no evidence of detonation, and no indication of excessive oil consumption. The exhaust manifold pipes showed white residue consistent with a lean mixture. Magneto timing was consistent with normal operation. When the upper spark plugs were reattached and the crankshaft rotated, a visible spark was observed at each plug, and the impulse couplings were audible during rotations.