NTSB Factual Report

On April 30, 2007, about 1000 Pacific daylight time, a Piper J3C-65, N145RL, collided with a tree during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Benton Field Airport (O85), Redding, California. The registered owner/pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The cross-country flight departed Gnoss Field Airport (DVO), Novato, California, about 0810, with a planned destination of Redding. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

The pilot stated in a written report that as he approached Benton Field, the engine lost all power due to a leak in the belly drain that caused fuel exhaustion. He did not observe this leak during the preflight inspection. Unable to make the airport, he elected to make a forced landing on a residential street. During the landing roll, the left wing struck a tree trunk, the airplane spun around and stopped, straddling the adjacent sidewalk.

A mechanic on scene found no fuel in the fuel tank. He observed recent blue staining in the belly area below the fuel strainer.

The straight line distance between Gnoss Field and Benton Field is 146 nautical miles (nm). The airplane's performance specifications were reviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, using a specification sheet for a 1946 Piper J3C-65 obtained from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. At 3,000 feet, with 75 percent power and best power mixture, the airplane cruises at 73 miles per hour and achieves a fuel consumption of 4.4 gallons per hour. The fuel capacity is 12 gallons. The airplane landed 4,500 feet short of the airport.

Legal counsel for the pilot reported that the airplane's fuel tank had been filled the day preceding the flight at Gnoss Field, but the pilot could not provide fuel receipts.

NTSB Probable Cause

The loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.