DEN00LA027

On a cross-country flight that was on a route the pilot flew often as a non-stop trip, the airplane encountered constant head winds that reduced ground speed to about 90 knots. After 6 hours and 50 minutes of flight, the pilot made the decision to land at an airport short of his destination for fuel. According to the pilot, when the airplane was about 35 miles short of the intended fuel stop, the engine lost all power due to fuel exhaustion and he conducted a forced landing to rough uneven terrain. During landing roll, the aircraft nosed over.

On December 14, 1999, at 1620 mountain standard time (MST), a Cessna 182R, N9616H, made a forced landing approximately 35 miles southeast of Farmington, New Mexico. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for this cross-country flight operating under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated from San Marcos, Texas, at 0930 MST with a planned destination of Durango, Colorado. No flight plan was filed.

According to the pilot, he had flown the route on frequent occasions and the fuel burn usually was between 65 and 72 gallons from San Marcos to Durango. The aircraft held 96 gallons useable fuel and the pilot said the fuel tanks were "topped off" before departure. On this trip, he noted that the headwinds were constant and that he was averaging about 90 knots ground speed. He said that he made the decision to land at Farmington for fuel and was approximately 35 miles southeast of the Farmington airport when the engine lost all power due to fuel exhaustion. The flight had been airborne for 6 hours and 50 minutes when fuel exhaustion occurred.

The pilot said that the terrain was rough and uneven and the aircraft nosed over during landing roll.