NTSB Factual Report

On October 8, 2005, approximately 1920 mountain daylight time, an Aeronca 7AC, N84580, operated and piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed when it struck telephone lines and impacted terrain following a loss of engine power near Berthoud, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The local personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot sustained no injuries. The flight originated from a private airstrip near Berthoud approximately 1700.

The Continental C-65 engine had been removed, and the airplane was equipped with a Lycoming O-235-C1 engine, rated at 115 horsepower at 2,600 rpm. According to the pilot, he filled his fuel tanks (13 gallons each wing) and took off. He made four touch-and-go landings at his airstrip, then flew north to the Laramie, Wyoming, area "to see the aspens." On his return leg as he approached the Red Feathers Lakes area, the engine "sputtered." He enriched the mixture and the engine ran smoothly. As he approached Longmont, Colorado, the engine sputtered again. He said the fuel gauges indicated between 1/4 and 1/2 full. He rocked the wings and the engine ran smoothly again. As he approached Berthoud, the engine lost power. The pilot said he had been aloft for 2-1/2 hours. Unable to reach his airstrip, the pilot elected to land on Road 23E, just south of Road 4 in Larimer County. The airplane struck telephone wires and a steel post alongside the road, tearing off the left wing. The pilot told a Larimer County sheriff's deputy that he ran out of fuel. According to the salvage crew that retrieved the airplane, they drained 2-1/2 gallons of fuel from the right tank. The pilot said there should have been another 2-1/2 gallons of fuel in the left tank.

On November 17, 2005, the engine (s/n 2024-15) was functionally tested at the facilities of Beegles Aircraft Service in Greeley, Colorado. Prior to the test, it was noted that the gascolator was empty. A maximum of 2,200 rpm was achieved, and there was a 75 rpm drop when each magneto was tested. Fuel flowed normally from the forward wing supply line, but would not flow from the aft supply line. Examination disclosed that the aft supply line was pinched inside the fuselage in an area of impact damage.

NTSB Probable Cause

the pilot's improper in-flight decision making which resulted in loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing factors are the transmission wires and the metal pole.