19971210038179A

Aircraft lost power, landed in onion field, struck vegitation and nosed over no evidence of fuel at the scene (.4) the pilot said he did not visually check the fuel but `stuck his finger in the fuel tank and felt fuel' (in his accident report, however, he said he visually inspected the fuel). He departed north las vegas airport. When the airplane was approximately 18 miles west of grand junction, the engine lost power, forcing the pilot to land in an onion field. The airplane struck a pile of onions and nosed over. The pilot said there was 62 gallons of fuel on board the airplane. According to the airplane owner's manual, standard tanks hold 65 gallons (58 gallons usable). The pilot said he cruised at 9,500 feet MSL, used a power setting of 18-19 inches of manifold pressure and 2300 RPM, and leaned the mixture. According to the Cessna 207 cruise performance chart for 10,000 feet, the engine should have developed between 48 and 51 percent of its rated horsepower (300 HP) and consumed between 10.3 and 11.0 gallons of fuel per hour. This would give the airplane a range of 695 miles and an endurance of between 5.3 and 5.6 hours. The pilot's accident report indicates the airplane had been aloft approximately 2 hours, 45 minutes. An FAA inspector who examined the airplane at the accident site said the airplane had been inverted prior to his arrival. When the airplane was placed upright, he found no evidence of fuel in the fuel tanks, fuel stains on the ground, or fuel dye stains on the wings. There was no odor of fuel in the area. The pilot said that although he had flown other Cessna single engine airplanes, this was his first experience flying the Cessna 207.