MIA00LA039

The pilot was in the process of diverting to a field short of his intended destination because of impending nightfall on a planned cross country flight when he sustained a loss of power due to fuel starvation. He performed an emergency descent and landing to a clear furrowed farm field, but as he got closer to touchdown, he realized his choice of landing into the wind put his landing roll across the furrows, and the airplane sustained a nose over. Post crash investigation revealed the normal fuel source had been exhausted, but fuel remained in the reserve compartment of the fuel tank.

On December 4, 1999, about 1710 eastern standard time, a Pitts Special S1C, N177J, registered to a private individual, operating as a Title 14 Part 91 personal flight, crashed while attempting a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Creedmoor, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane received substantial damage and the airline transport and flight instructor-rated pilot sustained minor injuries. The flight departed Kinston, North Carolina, about 1 hour before the accident.

The pilot stated he was returning to his home field after having attended an airman safety seminar. He became concerned with impending nightfall and was in the process of diverting to an airpark, short of his home field, when the power loss occurred. He performed an emergency descent and landing to a cleared plowed and furrowed farm field, and as he neared his touchdown point, he saw that his choice of landing into the wind would put his landing roll across the furrows. As his landing roll slowed, the airplane nosed over. The pilot stated he could not remember switching the fuel selector to the "reserve" position. He stated he has had the airplane up for 2.5 hours without having to switch to the reserve position. He stated that trip time on the fuel load was 2.6 hours at the crash site, and that he estimated the trip time would have been 2.8 hours, had he made it back home. He stated that the tank was topped off 2 days before his Kinston trip, but that he had changed the oil, performed a runup, and flown for about 0.5 hour since that top-off. He further stated that he had bought the airplane in August, 1999, and had about 25 hours of flight time in the airplane.

According to an FAA inspector, postcrash examination of the airplane revealed the engine was not rotating at time of impact, and the fuel system contained several, (unmeasured) gallons of fuel aboard. The single fuel tank capacity is about 21.5 gallons, divided into a normal, (about 16.5 gal.) and a reserve, (about 5.0 gal.) compartment of the same tank. Mounted on the side of and external to the fuel tank is a clear plastic tubing sight gage with a graduation mark on the outside and a floating ball inside. This is visible from the cockpit and would indicate to the pilot when the fuel level is into the reserve compartment. The fuel selector is labeled, "normal", "reserve", and "off". When asked, the pilot was not clear about how much time could be flown on the normal fuel selector position or how much time before the reserve tank was required. The fuel selector was found in the "off" position. Postcrash examination of the fuel system revealed that there was no fuel in the gascolator or in any of the fuel lines downstream of the gascolator. When the inspector selected "normal" and energized the electric boost pump, he got no fuel flow. When he selected "reserve" and energized the boost pump, the gascolator immediately filled with fuel.