CEN23LA018

While on a final approach for the runway, the pilot reported that the engine sputtered momentarily and then stopped running. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. Unable to make it to the runway, he performed a forced landing into dense trees and the airplane collided with terrain. The fuselage and left wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that after the accident he drained about 3 gallons of fuel from the fuel tank. However, the airplane was not examined until three days after the accident occurred, so this could not be verified. Three gallons of fuel in the tank would have placed the fuel just above the fuel inlet on the fuel tank. The flight time for the flight was estimated over 3 hours and 30 minutes, not including a flight the day before the accident. The airplane would have consumed over 17.5 gallons of fuel from the estimated 25-gallon fuel tank on the day of the accident based on an estimated fuel burn rate of 5 gallons per hour. After the accident, fuel was added, and the engine started without hesitation and ran at various power settings without any anomalies. It is likely that the low fuel state unported the fuel from the fuel inlet which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

On October 23, 2022, about 1300 central daylight time, an Sea Rey LSX airplane, N17TS, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Lago Vista, Texas. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. According to pilot, he departed from the Flying M Ranch Airport (7TA7), Reklaw, Texas, about 0900 and flew to Cherokee County Airport (JSO), Jacksonville, Texas. The pilot reported that he added 12.5 gallons of fuel to top off his 25-gallon fuel tank. The pilot further stated he departed JSO and flew west to the destination airport, Rusty Williams Airport (RYW), Lago Vista, Texas. The pilot reported that, while on final approach for runway 15 at RYW, the engine sputtered momentarily and stopped running. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. Unable to reach the runway, he performed a forced landing into a dense tree line, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. Automated Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) data showed that the airplane departed 7TA7 about 0915 and overflew JSO without landing. No fuel receipts were provided by the pilot, and there was no record of the pilot fueling on the day of the accident at JSO. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector conducted the on-site examination three days after the accident and documented the wreckage and engine. Both carburetors had clean fuel in their bowls and about .23 gallons of fuel was recovered. No anomalies were detected with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. Fuel was added, and the engine started without hesitation and ran at various power settings without any anomalies. According to the FAA, the pilot reportedly drained the fuel tank in preparation for moving the airplane and the pilot estimated that 3 gallons of fuel was recovered. However, the FAA inspectors found the container to be empty. The pilot reported that the container leaked all recovered fuel. The airplane was equipped with a fuel tank of the builder’s design with a total capacity of about 25 gallons. The unusable fuel amount could not be determined. However, postaccident examination of the fuel tank found that with 3 gallons of fuel in the tank, the fuel would have been just above the fuel inlet during approach. Average fuel consumption at 75% power was estimated at 5 gallons per hour.