LAX08LA127

The pilot was on a nighttime cross-country flight from northern Nevada to Arizona. After 4 hours 10 minutes of flight, the engine lost power, and despite multiple efforts, would not restart. The pilot verified that the magneto switch and fuel selector were set to the "both" position and he applied full rich mixture. The pilot initiated a forced landing to an unlit area adjacent to his position and impacted terrain in a nose low attitude resulting in structural damage to the fuselage and both wings. The pilot added that prior to departure, he had topped off both wing fuel tanks and had about 5 to 7 gallons in a reserve fuel tank. During recovery of the airplane, 15 gallons of fuel were drained from the right wing fuel tank and no fuel was found in the left wing fuel tank. The fuel system was found to be intact. After recovery of the airplane, the left wing fuel tank was fueled using 6 of the 15 gallons that were removed initially from the right tank. The engine was started and ran for 10 minutes through a wide range of power settings with the fuel selector valve positioned on the right and both settings.

On May 4, 2008, about 2100 mountain standard time, a Cessna 182H single-engine airplane, N6320B, made a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Prescott, Arizona. The airplane was registered to a private individual, and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight. The cross-country flight originated from Minden, Nevada, at 1650, with an intended destination of Prescott.

In a written statement, the pilot reported that he departed Redding, California, at 1420. During the flight, he encountered thunderstorms in the northern Sierra Mountains, flew back north to avoid them, and then flew into Minden. He topped off both wing's fuel tanks, and noted there was "5-7 gallons of fuel in [the] back reserve tank." During cruise flight, at an altitude of 9,500 feet mean sea level (msl), the pilot noted there was a headwind of about 25 knots present for the flight.

Approximately 20 miles from the Ernst A. Love Field Airport, Prescott, the pilot contacted the air traffic control tower and obtained a beacon code. About 4 minutes later, the engine lost power. The pilot verified that the fuel selector valve was positioned to both, applied full rich mixture, and advanced the propeller control full in (forward). Despite the pilot's effort, the engine did not restart.

The pilot informed the tower of his situation, and that he did not think that he would make it to the airport. The pilot initiated a forced landing to a black unlit area adjacent to his position. He thought that this was an open area, and set up to land. The airplane struck the ground in a nose-low attitude.

Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the fuselage was buckled and both wings were structurally damaged. During recovery of the airplane, recovery personnel drained 15 gallons of 100-low lead aviation fuel from the right wing fuel tank. No fuel was removed from the left wing fuel tank. The inspector removed the top spark plugs and noted all six spark plugs were white within the electrode area. At a follow-up examination at a recovery facility, the left wing fuel tank was fueled using 6 of the 15 gallons that were initially removed from the right tank. The engine was started and ran for 10 minutes through a wide range of power settings with the fuel selector valve positioned on the left and both settings.