FTW98LA138

After a cross-country flight of 4 hours and 24 minutes, the airplane was 8 nautical miles from its destination when the engine lost power. The pilot initially set up for a forced landing on a highway; however, due to traffic on the highway, he elected to land adjacent to the highway. During the landing, the airplane encountered a ditch, impacted a tree, and came to a stop. When the flight was 13 nautical miles from its destination, the pilot had asked air traffic control to check on the availability of fuel at an airport the airplane was passing over. The controller was unable to confirm the availability of fuel, and although the right fuel gage was 'indicating nearly empty,' the pilot decided to continue the flight. He stated that he 'thought' the airplane would be able to reach the destination without difficulty since he had exhausted the fuel in the left tank earlier in the flight and noted that the 'fuel gage registered empty for 20 minutes or so before the engine quit.' There was no leakage or spillage of fuel at the accident site, and the right tank was found to be empty.

On February 27, 1998, at 1300 central standard time, a Piper PA-28-180 airplane, N7998W, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Monroe, Louisiana. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, received minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the Poudre Valley Flying Club of Fort Collins, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was filed for the Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal cross country flight. The airplane departed from Destin, Florida, for the 325 nautical mile flight to Monroe at 0936 eastern standard time.

During a telephone interview, conducted by the NTSB investigator-in-charge, and in a written statement, the pilot reported that during his preflight inspection, he confirmed that both fuel tanks were filled "to the top." He positioned the fuel selector to the right tank for the takeoff from Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport. Upon reaching the Crestview VOR (located 28 nautical miles north-northwest of Destin), he switched to the left tank, and the selector remained in that position until the fuel in the left tank was exhausted "2 1/2 hours later." The pilot noted that "the fuel gage registered empty for 20 minutes or so before the engine quit." He then switched to the right tank "without incident."

When the flight was passing over Rayville, Louisiana, located 13 nautical miles east of Monroe Regional Airport, the pilot asked the Monroe approach controller to check on the availability of fuel at Hooks Memorial Airport in Rayville. The controller was unable to confirm the availability of fuel at Hooks, and the pilot decided to continue towards Monroe. He stated that the right "fuel gage was indicating nearly empty, and I knew the left gage had registered empty for 20 minutes or so before the tank went dry, so I thought I would be able to reach Monroe without difficulty."

At a flight time of 4 hours and 24 minutes, when the airplane was about 8 nautical miles east of Monroe, the engine lost power, and the pilot set up for a forced landing on Interstate 20. "At the final moments" of the approach, the pilot elected not to land on the highway due to a concern that he would "endanger motor vehicle traffic." He turned the airplane left to land adjacent to the highway, his remaining "option" since the "only field not covered with standing water" had "cattle scattered over it." The airplane's right wing "sheared about 10 feet off the top of [a] tree," and the airplane "proceeded level onto the far edge of a small muddy bayou." During the ground roll, the right wing impacted a tree, and the airplane rotated to the right and came to a stop.

According to the pilot, during the impact sequence, the right wing sustained structural damage, the right main landing gear "sheared off," and the nose landing gear collapsed. He stated that there was "no fuel leakage or spillage" at the accident site, and he saw "no gas" in the right tank when he used a flashlight to look into the tank.