CEN20LA036

The pilot was conducting a cross-country flight when, after 4.5 hrs of flight and about 15 miles short of the destination, the engine lost all power. He stated that the right fuel tank quantity gauge "slammed" to empty as he maneuvered for landing following the loss of engine power and the left tank gauge was between 1/8-tank and empty. The airplane impacted trees during the forced landing and both wings separated from the fuselage. No evidence of fuel was found at the accident site; however, the wreckage was disposed of before any additional examinations could be conducted. The pilot stated that the airplane's fuel tanks were filled to capacity before departure, and that his preflight fuel planning indicated that he would reach the destination airport with about 1 hour of fuel remaining. During the flight, he made an unplanned stop at an intermediate airport after about 3 hours but opted not to add fuel based on his preflight planning and the fuel gauges, which indicated that the tanks were half full. The fuel planning figures provided by the pilot postaccident were consistent with the fuel planning data contained in the pilot's operating handbook for a more powerful engine. The combined or individual effects of headwind, inflight engine power settings, and the pilot's fuel mixture leaning practices on the actual fuel consumption of the accident flight could not be determined, thus it is not known why the airplane consumed significantly more fuel during the flight than the pilot planned, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. It is possible that the accident may have been prevented if the pilot had verified the amount of fuel onboard or added additional fuel during the intermediate stop.

On December 18, 2019, at 1743 central standard time, a Champion 7ECA, N9566S, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Starkville, Mississippi. The pilot received minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot was conducting a 400 nautical mile cross country flight from North Houston Airport (9X1), Texas, to deliver the airplane for sale at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport (GTR), Mississippi. GTR is located on an approximately 050° bearing from 9X1. After about 4.5 total hours of flight time and about 15 miles from GTR, the engine "hiccupped and appeared to run rougher." The pilot began an immediate turn to George M. Bryan Airport (STF), Mississippi, which was a closer. During the turn the right fuel gauge "slammed to [empty]" and the left fuel gauge was between 1/8 tank and empty, and the engine quit. The pilot attempted to restart the engine before realizing the airplane would not make the runway. The airplane struck a tree during the forced landing near the highway and both wings separated from the fuselage. The accident location was 15 miles west of GTR and two miles south of STF. The Federal Aviation Inspector who responded to the scene said there was no fuel in the fuel tanks and there was no evidence of fuel on the ground. The airplane wreckage was disposed of prior to any additional examinations being conducted on the fuel gauges or wreckage. The pilot said he utilized timing backed up by gauges for fuel planning and awareness in general aviation aircraft. He had "topped off the tanks to 36 [gallons]" the night before the accident flight, which provided 35 gallons of usable fuel onboard. The pilot had previously verified his normal fuel burn rate for the airplane was 5.5 gallons per hour but said he "determined 6 GPH would provide a margin of safety." He also said he leaned the engine during the flight. The pilot made an unplanned stop at Vicksburg Municipal Airport (VKS), Mississippi, after about 3 hours of flight. He did not visually check the fuel tanks during the stop and opted not to add fuel based off timing and the gauges showing the tanks were half full. The pilot provided fuel planning for the accident flight that was completed post-accident. The computations indicated the flight would take 4.7 hours and burn 28.2 gallons of fuel. His planning included fuel used for start, taxi, takeoff, and climb at both 9X1 and VKS, as well as enroute descents to each airport. His calculations used a burn rate of 5.9 gallons per hour (GPH) at 5,500 ft mean sea level (MSL) and 2,600 revolutions per minute (RPM) and showed he should have arrived at GTR with 4.8 gallons of fuel, which exceeded that necessary to meet his 45-minute reserve requirement. He stated he would have needed to stop for fuel to meet his reserve fuel requirements if the planned flight exceeded 5 hours. The airplane was equipped with a Continental O-200-A engine rated at 100horsepower (HP) at 2,750 RPM. The pilot's operating handbook (POH) did not contain performance data for airplanes equipped with O-200-A engines, but did provide fuel burn rates for 7ECA airplanes equipped with Continental O-235-C1 engines rated at 115 HP. The POH indicated the fuel burn rate for the O-235-C1 engine at 5,000 ft MSL and 2,600 RPM was 5.6 GPH and endurance was 6.3 hours. The fuel burn rate at 5,000 ft MSL and 2,700 RPM was 6.3 GPH and 5.6 hrs of endurance. The fuel burn rate at 5,000 ft MSL and 2,800 RPM was 8.9 GPH and 3.9 hrs of endurance. The POH contained the following notes regarding cruise performance: Maximum cruise is normally limited to 75% power. All fuel consumption estimates are based on the recommended lean mixture when at or below 75% power and full rich above 75% power The POH states "The fuel mixture should be leaned at any altitude when below 75% of maximum power." It also contains the warning "Range and endurance information is based on a properly leaned fuel mixture. Failure to lean the fuel mixture will increase fuel consumption appreciably." The pilot stated he encountered higher than anticipated headwinds during the flight. The following wind aloft forecasts at 6,000 ft MSL were valid along the route of flight during the times of the flight: DATA BASED ON 181200Z VALID 181800Z FOR USE 1400-2100Z. William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) 010°/12 knots Shreveport Regional Airport (SHV) 340°/16 knots Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers Int'l Airport (JAN) 350°/17 knots DATA BASED ON 181200Z VALID 19OOOOZ FOR USE 2100-0600Z. William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) 010°/08 knots Shreveport Regional Airport (SHV) 340°/12 knots Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers Int'l Airport (JAN) 350°/16 knots