What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The pilot departed the porterville municipal airport at approximately 0830 local time to make the flight from porterville (kptv) to hayward (khwd) to madera (kmae) and back to kptv. The pilot had called his instructor to obtain the cross country endorsement required of a student pilot but was unable to contact his flight instructor for the endorsement and proceeded to fly without contacting his instructor. The pilot expressed in the message to his instructor that he wanted to go to hayward to look at an aircraft.
The pilot departed with both tanks full of fuel and checked that they were full by dipping the tank and verifying the fuel gauges indicated full. The weather on January 18 was visual meteorological conditions with little to no wind. The san joaquin valley had slight haze at lower altitudes but visibility was better than 10 miles. The pilot flew from kptv to khwd at 2,500 feet until reaching the coastal mountain range at which time he climbed over the mountains up to approximately 6,000 feet. The pilot made a full stop landing at khwd airport to look at aircraft.
The pilot departed khwd en-route to kmae. The pilot received notification by radio that he may have flown into livermore?s (klvk) class d airspace, while en-route to kmae. The pilot made a full stop landing at kmae without further incident and attempted contact with klvk?s air traffic controllers; however his cell phone?s battery went dead in the beginning of the call. The pilot looked at other aircraft while at the madera airport before continuing the flight to kptv.
The fuel gauges indicated full tanks leaving kptv, just over half tanks leaving khwd, and quarter tanks leaving kmae. The pilot indicated that at no time did the gauges indicate a zero fuel reading. A mechanic for aircraft owner stated that the fuel gauges at the accident site indicated empty on the left tank and just below a quarter on the right tank.
The aircraft flew for 4.5 hours before both fuel tanks were unusable and the pilot made the emergency landing. The accident site was located approximately 3 miles east of Tulare, CA (N36.222154 W-119.270689) between two grape vineyards on the access road.
As the FAA filed it
THE PILOT DEPARTED THE PORTERVILLE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT AT APPROXIMATELY 0830 LOCAL TIME TO MAKE THE FLIGHT FROM PORTERVILLE (KPTV) TO HAYWARD (KHWD) TO MADERA (KMAE) AND BACK TO KPTV. THE PILOT HAD CALLED HIS INSTRUCTOR TO OBTAIN THE CROSS COUNTRY ENDORSEMENT REQUIRED OF A STUDENT PILOT BUT WAS UNABLE TO CONTACT HIS FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR FOR THE ENDORSEMENT AND PROCEEDED TO FLY WITHOUT CONTACTING HIS INSTRUCTOR. THE PILOT EXPRESSED IN THE MESSAGE TO HIS INSTRUCTOR THAT HE WANTED TO GO TO HAYWARD TO LOOK AT AN AIRCRAFT.
THE PILOT DEPARTED WITH BOTH TANKS FULL OF FUEL AND CHECKED THAT THEY WERE FULL BY DIPPING THE TANK AND VERIFYING THE FUEL GAUGES INDICATED FULL. THE WEATHER ON JANUARY 18 WAS VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WITH LITTLE TO NO WIND. THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY HAD SLIGHT HAZE AT LOWER ALTITUDES BUT VISIBILITY WAS BETTER THAN 10 MILES. THE PILOT FLEW FROM KPTV TO KHWD AT 2,500 FEET UNTIL REACHING THE COASTAL MOUNTAIN RANGE AT WHICH TIME HE CLIMBED OVER THE MOUNTAINS UP TO APPROXIMATELY 6,000 FEET. THE PILOT MADE A FULL STOP LANDING AT KHWD AIRPORT TO LOOK AT AIRCRAFT.
THE PILOT DEPARTED KHWD EN-ROUTE TO KMAE. THE PILOT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION BY RADIO THAT HE MAY HAVE FLOWN INTO LIVERMORE?S (KLVK) CLASS D AIRSPACE, WHILE EN-ROUTE TO KMAE. THE PILOT MADE A FULL STOP LANDING AT KMAE WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT AND ATTEMPTED CONTACT WITH KLVK?S AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS; HOWEVER HIS CELL PHONE?S BATTERY WENT DEAD IN THE BEGINNING OF THE CALL. THE PILOT LOOKED AT OTHER AIRCRAFT WHILE AT THE MADERA AIRPORT BEFORE CONTINUING THE FLIGHT TO KPTV.
THE FUEL GAUGES INDICATED FULL TANKS LEAVING KPTV, JUST OVER HALF TANKS LEAVING KHWD, AND QUARTER TANKS LEAVING KMAE. THE PILOT INDICATED THAT AT NO TIME DID THE GAUGES INDICATE A ZERO FUEL READING. A MECHANIC FOR AIRCRAFT OWNER STATED THAT THE FUEL GAUGES AT THE ACCIDENT SITE INDICATED EMPTY ON THE LEFT TANK AND JUST BELOW A QUARTER ON THE RIGHT TANK.
THE AIRCRAFT FLEW FOR 4.5 HOURS BEFORE BOTH FUEL TANKS WERE UNUSABLE AND THE PILOT MADE THE EMERGENCY LANDING. THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES EAST OF TULARE, CA (N36.222154 W-119.270689) BETWEEN TWO GRAPE VINEYARDS ON THE ACCESS ROAD.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.