IAD01LA026

The pilot departed on an estimated 1-hour positioning flight with an unknown quantity of fuel. He did not visually verify the quantity in the tanks, and he estimated that the quantity indicated on the fuel gauge would be sufficient for 1 hour 30 minutes of flight. About 20 minutes after departure, the pilot determined his fuel supply had diminished into his 'reserve' and he landed at an airport for fuel. The pilot taxied to the pump but an airport employee communicated through hand signals that fuel was unavailable for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes, and without stopping the engine, the pilot elected to continue the flight. About 55 minutes after the initial takeoff, the engine stopped running, and the pilot performed a forced landing to wooded terrain. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of fuel spillage and no odor of fuel at the scene. About 1 gallon of residual fuel was recovered from the airplane's fuel system. When asked if fuel was available prior to his original departure, the pilot said: "Yeah, there was. I taxied right by it."

On January 14, 2001, at 0900 eastern standard time, an Ayres Corporation S2R, N222GK, was substantially damaged during a forced landing to wooded terrain near the Crewe Municipal Airport (W81), Crewe, Virginia. The certificated commercial pilot was not inured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the positioning flight that originated at Warrenton Airport (W66), Warrenton, Virginia, about 0800, destined for Crewe. No flight plan was filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

In a telephone interview, the pilot said the purpose of the flight was to position the airplane at the Crewe Airport. He said he was to perform an aerial spraying job in the area, and that his operation was based at the airport.

The pilot said that he performed a preflight inspection prior to departure, but did not visually confirm the fuel in the tanks. He said the fuel gauge indicated 70 gallons and that he estimated 1 hour and 25 minutes of flight time was available based on a 50 gallon-per-hour fuel burn rate.

According to the pilot:

"I was flying from W66 to Crewe. I was about 55 minutes into the flight when the engine quit. I tried the boost pump and the igniters, and it surged for a minute, but then it quit. I attempted an air start, but then I lowered the flaps because by that time I was down in the treetops."

The pilot said that when he departed Warrenton, he climbed to 6,500 feet, where he encountered headwinds. He then descended to less than 1,000 feet, where the airplane's groundspeed increased about 10 knots.

About 35 miles into the 90-mile flight, the pilot elected to land at the Louisa County Airport (LKU) to purchase fuel. He said he diverted to Louisa County because of the headwinds and the indication on the fuel gauge. The pilot taxied to the pump but an airport employee communicated through hand signals that fuel was unavailable until 1000. Without stopping the engine, the pilot elected to continue the flight to Crewe. He said:

"I pulled in at Louisa because the plane was down to 40 gallons, and that looked pretty tight to me. Well, not too tight, but close. They weren't open yet; they opened at 10 o'clock. So, I thought it would be close, but I thought I'd make it [to Crewe]."

The pilot departed Louisa, and performed a forced landing after a loss of engine power 4 nautical miles prior to his destination.

On January 16, 2001, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Safety inspectors interviewed the pilot, examined the wreckage, and submitted a report of their observations.

Examination of the wreckage revealed that all major components were accounted for at the scene. The left wing fuel tank was compromised, but no odor of fuel or evidence of fuel spillage was noted at the scene.

The remainder of the airplane's fuel system was intact. According to the report, approximately 1 gallon of fuel was drained from the left tank forward fuel line. The left wing sump, right wing sump, engine sump, header tank, and the fuel filter each contained an ounce of fuel or less. The fuel drained was absent of water and debris.

According to the pilot, the fuel capacity of the Ayers S2R was 228 gallons, of which 1 gallon was unusable. He said that the minimum quantity that was visually verifiable in the tanks was 120 gallons, based on a template mounted inside each tank. He said:

"This [flight] was a departure from what I normally do. Normally, when I fly across the state, I put in enough fuel where I can see it, but this time I didn't."

According to the FAA inspector's report, "[The pilot] stated that he never did aerial spraying with less than 40 gallons indicated on the fuel quantity gauge because he did not want to run out of fuel. When it got near 40 he would refuel before continuing to spray."

When asked if fuel was available at Warrenton prior to his departure, the pilot said:

"Yeah, there was. I taxied right by it."

The pilot reported there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane.

The pilot said he had approximately 7,500 hours of flight experience, 2,315 hours of which were in the S2R.

Weather reported at Louisa County Airport, 50 miles north of Crewe, was ceiling overcast at 3,900 feet and calm winds.