DEN04LA045

According to the pilot, he topped-off the airplane with fuel, and departed to the west on a long cross-country flight. After flying for several hours, he saw the "glow of [city] lights" and thought it was his destination. He attempted to contact the airport by radio, but did not receive a response. He stated that, at that time, he was unable to pick up the VOR. At that point he realized that he must have drifted north and off of his intended heading. He said he adjusted his heading to the southwest, and climbed to a higher altitude. Shortly thereafter, he located his destination, and through radio contact, turned on the runway lights. As he flew over the airport, the airplane's engine began to lose power and then it "cut out." He circled around the airport as he descended and set up for a forced landing on runway 22. On the final approach, he realized that he wasn't going to make the runway. He said that he "increased the [airplane's] angle of attack," but the airplane fell short of the runway. The airplane's right wing struck a fence post and the airplane impacted the terrain approximately 50 yards short of the runway threshold. The airplane's right wing spar was bent outboard of the wing strut, and the nose landing gear was separated from the gear fork. An on-site examination of the airplane revealed that both wing fuel tanks were empty.

On February 12, 2004, at approximately 2300 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172N, N9892J, operated by Pro-Air Aviation, LLC., was substantially damaged when it struck a fence during a forced landing at Parowan Airport (1L9), Parowan, Utah. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed. A visual flight rules flight plan was filed for this personal cross-country flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight to Cedar City, Utah, originated at Albuquerque, New Mexico, at approximately 1830.

According to the pilot, he stated that he had flown the route between Albuquerque and Cedar City four previous times. Prior to departing Albuquerque, he said he "filled up with fuel." They departed Albuquerque, and flew on a heading of 280 degrees over Page, Arizona. From Page, he flew a heading of 290 degrees. As he cleared the mountains, he saw the "glow of [city] lights" and thought it was Cedar City. He attempted to contact the Cedar City Airport by radio, but did not receive a response. He also stated that, at that time, he was unable to pick up Cedar City's VHF Omni-directional Radio range (VOR). At that point, he realized that he must have drifted north and off of his intended heading, and identified that the city was not Cedar City.

He said he adjusted his heading to the southwest, and climbed up to 11,000 feet (msl). Shortly thereafter, he saw Parowan, Utah, and through radio contact, turned on the runway lights. As he flew over Parowan Airport, the airplane's engine began to lose power and then it "cut out." He circled around the airport as he descended and set up for a forced landing on runway 22. On the final approach, he realized that he wasn't going to make the runway. He said that he "increased the [airplane's] angle of attack," but the airplane fell short of the runway. The airplane's right wing struck a fence post and the airplane impacted the terrain approximately 50 yards short of the runway threshold. The airplane's right wing spar was bent outboard of the wing strut, and the nose landing gear was separated from the gear fork.

According to an FAA inspector, an on-site examination revealed that both wing fuel tanks were empty.