NTSB Factual Report

The airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power on final approach. The pilot and one passenger were uninjured. The flight instructor sustained minor injuries. A second passenger sustained serious injuries. The instrument instructional flight departed Tradewind Airport (TDW), Amarillo, Texas, about 1300. The accident occurred at 1612 while the airplane was on final approach to Lincoln Municipal Airport (LNK), Lincoln, Nebraska.

The pilot stated that the flight proceeded normally direct to LNK with a deviation due to an active Military Operations Area (MOA) en route. He noted that winds aloft were about 10 knots, from 9 to 10 o'clock relative to the direct flight route. The winds were estimated to add 10 to 15 minutes to the flight time. On final approach at LNK, about 1-1/2 miles from the runway, the "engine died with no warning." The pilot noted that the fuel selector was set to the right main tank at the time of the loss of power. The crew subsequently switched to the left tank and activated the auxiliary fuel pump in an unsuccessful effort to restore engine power.

A post accident inspection recovered one quart of fuel from the right main fuel tank and 3-1/2 gallons from the left main fuel tank. The fuel tanks did not appear to have been compromised during the accident sequence.

The pilot stated that the flight departed with the main tanks topped off and the auxiliary fuel tanks empty. Fuel capacity of both main tanks was 50 gallons total, of which 44 gallons were useable. The flight plan filed with the Federal Aviation Administration showed an estimated time en route of 3 hours and total fuel on-board of 4 hours and 30 minutes.

The flight prior to the accident flight was from LNK to TDW. The accident flight was the return flight. According to information provided by the pilot and the fixed base operator at TDW, the flight from LNK to TDW lasted approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes. The airplane was fueled with 41 gallons at TDW.

Performance data provided by the manufacturer indicated that the expected fuel burn at 7,000 feet pressure altitude was: 12.9 gallons-per-hour (gph) at 75-percent power; 11.5 gph at 65-percent power, and 9.8 gph at 55-percent power. The prior owner of the accident aircraft stated he normally planned a fuel burn of 14 gph when he flew the airplane.

NTSB Probable Cause

A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of inaccurate fuel consumption calculations and inadequate monitoring of the remaining fuel quantity en route. A contributing factor was the inadequate supervision of the instructional flight by the flight instructor.