NTSB Factual Report

The pilot stated that he began the cross-country flight with 4 hours of fuel onboard with an estimated 3 hours en route. During the flight, while over an airport along the route of flight, he found that the headwinds were much stronger than forecast. He calculated that he had 1 hour of fuel remaining, and that the remaining flight time to his destination was 30 minutes. As he approached his destination, he was receiving vectors from an air traffic controller when the airplane’s engine sputtered and stopped producing power. The pilot successfully restarted the engine. However, soon thereafter, it stopped producing power again, and this time it would not restart. In dark night light conditions, he performed a forced landing to a small opening in the trees. The first rescue personnel on scene reported that they did not “smell an obvious odor of aviation fuel.” Additionally, the pilot reported to rescuers that “he believed he had run out of fuel and that the engine just quit on him.” The airplane’s fuselage was bent upwards immediately behind the cabin area, and both wings were bent and wrinkled.

NTSB Probable Cause

The total loss of engine power as a result of fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning.