FTW96LA249

While on an IFR flight to ferry the airplane from Colorado to Florida, the pilot made an unscheduled stop at Hill City, Ks. He then took off from Hill City without refueling and proceeded to the next stop at Tulsa, Ok. During a night approach to land at Tulsa, the engine lost power. The pilot executed the emergency procedures, but managed to reestablish power only momentarily. He elected to make a forced landing in an unlit city park. During the landing, the airplane collided with a chain link fence. Examination of the fuel cells revealed that the right fuel cell, which was selected during the emergency landing, was empty. At the time of the accident, the pilot had been on travel status for 18 hours.

On June 14, 1996, at 2345 central daylight time, an American General AG-5B, N115JE, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of power near Tulsa, Oklahoma. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The airplane, owned and operated by a private individual, was being ferried at the time of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the night ferry flight for which an IFR flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Crosson Field Airport, in Sterling, Colorado, at 1630 mountain daylight time.

According to the FAA inspector, the pilot made an unscheduled stop at Hill City, Kansas, to evaluate and update the weather. After 90 minutes on the ground, the pilot continued his planned flight to the Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. Airport (RVS), near Tulsa, without refueling the airplane.

According to law enforcement personnel at the accident site, the airplane was approaching RVS for landing when Tulsa Tower instructed the pilot to slow down for spacing with other IFR traffic landing at RVS. During the approach, at approximately 2,500 feet, the engine lost power. At the time, the engine was being fed from the left fuel cell. The pilot selected the right fuel cell and the engine regained power momentarily, then quit. The pilot executed a forced landing to an unlit city park. The airplane impacted a chain link fence during the emergency landing resulting in damage to both wings, the fuselage and two landing gears.

According to the owner, he purchased the 1993 model airplane 3 days prior to the accident, but was unable to pick up the airplane due to other personal commitments. The pilot was hired to fly to Colorado via commercial airlines to pick up the airplane and ferry it back to Boca Raton, Florida. The owner stated that the pilot had flown a total of 4.1 hours prior to the forced landing. The owner further stated that the airplane was equipped with a 51 gallon usable fuel system.

Examination of the aircraft at the accident site by airport recovery personnel revealed that no usable fuel was found in the right fuel cell. This finding was later verified by the FAA inspector when he examined the wreckage at the parking ramp at RVS Airport. The investigation revealed that at the time of the accident, the pilot had been on travel status for approximately 18 hours.