DEN01LA102

The pilot departed for the cross-country flight with 10 gallons of fuel in the left tank and 17 gallons of fuel in the right tank. He leveled off and reduced to cruise power. He said he was "preparing to make switch from left to right tank....just before I could make the switch, the engine lost power." He attempted to switch tanks and restart the engine, but could not get a restart. He performed a forced landing to a dirt road. During the landing roll, the left wing struck a tree and the airplane rotated 180 degrees. The engine was torn from the mount, both wing spars were bent, and the empennage sustained substantial damage. A salvage team member noted, during the airplanes recovery, that there were approximately 10 to 15 gallons of fuel in the left tank; he said the right fuel tank was empty.

On May 27, 2001, at approximately 1400 mountain daylight time, a Cessna T207A, N6427H, was destroyed during a forced landing following a loss of engine power during cruise near Kanab, Utah. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant on board, was not injured. Lake Mead Air, of Boulder City, Nevada, was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight that originated from Marble Canyon, Arizona, approximately 30 minutes before the accident. A company VFR flight plan had been filed.

According to the pilot's written report, he departed Marble Canyon Airport with 10 gallons of fuel in the left tank and 17 gallons of fuel in the right tank. He leveled off at 8500 feet msl and reduced to cruise power. He said he was "preparing to switch from the left to the right tank....just before I could make the switch, the engine lost power." He immediately switched tanks, pushed the mixture full forward, and turned the boost pump on to restart the engine. He tried again, but the engine did not restart. He aimed for a narrow dirt road and extended the flaps. During the ground roll, the left wing struck a tree, and the airplane turned 180 degrees skidding to a halt. The engine was torn from the motor mount, the nose gear was severed, both wing spars were bent, and the empennage was wrinkled and bent.

A salvage team member noted, during the airplane's recovery, that there were approximately 10 to 15 gallons of fuel in the left tank; he said the right fuel tank was empty.