NTSB Factual Report

On April 29, 2001, at 1400 hours Pacific standard time, a Cessna 170B, N2567C, was substantially damaged when it landed in rough desert terrain 1 mile short of the runway at Henderson, Nevada, following a loss of engine power. The commercial pilot and sole occupant was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight conducted by the owner under 14 CFR Part 91. The airplane departed Henderson approximately 1230. No flight plan was filed.

The accident airplane was based at the Henderson Executive Airport in Henderson, which operated the aircraft hangar/tie-down and fuel service. A search of the fuel records was accomplished by airport personnel. The fuel records indicated that N2567C had received 16.24 gallons of 100 Low Lead avgas on February 17, 2001. No subsequent fuel records have been found. According to a copy of the pilot's logbook, the airplane had been flown on three local flights, for a total of 3.2 hours, since the last recorded fueling and the accident flight.

In a telephone interview, the pilot stated that he left Henderson approximately 1230 for the local flight. In the accident report received from the pilot, he stated that he took off with an estimated 15 to 18 gallons of fuel onboard. He practiced flight maneuvers and three wheel landings at a nearby dry lake bed, and then landed at Jean, Nevada, airport for a 20-minute rest stop. He did not fuel the aircraft at Jean airport, which had fuel service available. He stated that during his return to Henderson, the engine slowed down and stopped approximately 3 miles from the airport. He attempted a restart. The engine restarted and ran for about 1 minute and stopped again, resulting in a forced landing 1 mile short of the airport in rough desert terrain. The left main landing gear was separated from the fuselage. The airplane came to rest upright with the left wingtip on the ground about a 30-degree left wing down attitude. He stated that the accident happened at 1400.

According to the Cessna 170 owners manual, the maximum fuel consumption at sea level with the mixture leaned was 12.5 gallons per hour. At a cruise altitude of 5,000 feet with mixture leaned, the fuel consumption was 9.6 gallons per hour. The airplane holds 42 gallons of fuel in two wing tanks. The useable fuel is 37 gallons. This leaves approximately 2.5 gallons of unusable fuel in each wing tank.

Officers from the Henderson Police Department responded to the scene. The officers inspected the airplane's fuel tanks immediately upon arrival. It was noted that the right fuel gage indicated 3/4 full. The left fuel gage indicated empty. The officers informed an inspector from the Las Vegas, Nevada, Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), that no fuel was found in the wing tanks or at the accident scene. The Henderson Fire Department also confirmed that no fuel was present at the accident site and no fuel leaks were observed.

Inspectors from the Las Vegas FSDO inspected the airplane at the recovery site at the Henderson airport. They observed no obstructions to the airplane's fuel system. No evidence of fuel leakage was observed. The right tank was completely dry. The left tank had a small amount of fuel pooled in the outboard section. The inspectors were unable to drain the remaining fuel due to the position of the wing.

NTSB Probable Cause

The failure of the pilot to refuel the airplane, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a forced landing in rough terrain.