Accident Sequence
The pilot of a Piper PA-46-310P contacted the tracon and reported a partial power loss. The airplane was approximately two miles east of the airport at about 3,500 feet msl, heading in a southwesterly direction. The tracon instructed the pilot to turn 150° for radar vectors to runway 33. The pilot did not comply with this instruction, instead continuing on a southwesterly course. The airplane flew past the approach ends of two runways, then continued westbound, ultimately crashing 2.5 miles west of the airport. During the forced landing, the airplane collided with a telephone pole.
Fuel Considerations
The pilot indicated that the airplane had 300 pounds (about 50 gallons) of fuel on board at takeoff. The pilot operating handbook for the Piper PA-34-310P, which is similar, lists fuel consumption at about 16 gallons per hour. The flight duration was approximately one hour. After the accident, no evidence of fuel was found in the airplane's fuel system, nor was there any evidence of fuel spillage from either wing.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause was the pilot-in-command's poor preflight planning, inadequate fuel consumption calculations which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, and the pilot-in-command's failure to follow air traffic control verbal instructions which would have guided him to a probable safe landing at an airport.