20160405003279A

The following is based on the pilots statement.

The pilot planned a VFR flight from huntsville Alabama (mdq) to tulsa Oklahoma (1H6). The flight purpose was to enable the passenger to pick up newly purchased vehicle. The original flight was planned to fly Tuesday am departure at 0600. The flight plan was inputted in duats and checking weather in tulsa for Tuesday. The decision was made to fly Monday evening because tulsa was expecting high winds on Tuesday, while Monday night weather was clear and mostly calm the entire route. The pilot input departure time 2000 and duats came back with "too close to departure time to file". A VFR flight plan was not filed. The pilot departed mdq at 2020 central time with ete at 1H6 of 5:47.

Aircraft had full tanks on departure, no baggage, pilot and passenger. The aircraft departed mdq runway 36 and turned west climbing to 8500. At 8500 the pilot leaned fuel mixture and set the throttle to 2550. Departure winds were 320 @ 5. Wind remained the same for the first third of route.

The pilot encountered some light turbulence at 8500 so the aircraft descent to 6500 just west of memphis. The pilot re-leaned mixture at 6500. The last third of the trip wind was pushing the aircraft, airspeed of 115, and ground speed of 120 to 130. At 30 NM from 1H6, and just under 5 hours into the flight, the pilot started descent, switched from right fuel tank to left , right was showing right next to empty, left showed between 1/4 and empty. The pilot checked tulsa ATIS, then at 24 NM from 1H6 at about 4300 ft., the engine ran down to 1100 RPM, continued to run roughly. I pushed mixture to full rich, throttle to full, switched fuel back to right tank, no effect so I switched back to left tank.

The pilot changed frequency to 121.5 and broadcast mayday. Tulsa replied with transponder squawk 0336. The pilot dialed transponder squawk -336. The pilot descended to altitude of 3200, and made a turn toward hefner-easley, wagoner Oklahoma (H68), that being nearest airport.

The pilot knew we wouldn't make H68, so the pilot switched on the landing light and looked for a place to land. The pilot stated there were scattered lights of houses, mostly dark areas. The pilot had the plane at 60 mph, just above stall. The ground came up, no trees but a dirt bank. The pilot lifted the aircraft it to get over the bank.

The onsite post-accident inspection observations were noted.

The aircraft impacted the top of an embankment on the edge of a pond. The impact marks showed the aircraft hit the ground on a 100 degree heading. The landing gear departed the aircraft on impact. The nose was located at the top of the embankment and the main gear ended up in the floating in the pond. The aircraft slid across the pond, turned left to a northerly heading and came to rest with the right wing on the pond bank. The fuselage and left wing were in the pond.

The aircraft received substantial damage from the impact to the embankment. The nose gear folded up into the fuselage and caused the inside cabin floor to buckle in. All three landing gear departed the aircraft. The fire wall was bent in a downward direction and the engine mount was broken. The windshield was broken. One propeller blade was bent into the nose cowling and the other blade had no damage. The engine would not rotate because the prop blade was inside the nose cowling. The right side of the vertical stabilizer had black tire mark form the right main tire.

When the aircraft stopped against the pond bank, the force caused the passenger to move to the right. The force broke the cabin door from its mount. The door departed the aircraft.

The aircraft master switch was placed in the on and both fuel gauges displayed empty. The right fuel tank cap was removed; no fuel was noted in the right fuel tank. The left wing was partially submerged in the pond. Once the aircraft was removed from the pond, the left fuel tank was inspected.