NYC08CA006

During cruise flight at 1,600 feet mean sea level, the engine "sputtered" and subsequently lost all power. At the time, the fuel selector was positioned to the left main fuel tank. The pilot attempted to restart the engine; however, the engine did not restart and the pilot subsequently performed a forced landing to a road, substantially damaging the right wing. The pilot reported that he might have run the left fuel tank out of fuel. Examination of the left fuel tank revealed that it was empty, and the airplane had flown 2.16 hours since its last fueling. The left main fuel tank had a capacity of 22 gallons of fuel, and the engine consumed about 11 gallons per hour during cruise flight. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions.

The pilot was conducting a local flight in a Beech G35. About 30 minutes into the flight, at 1,600 feet mean sea level, the engine "sputtered" and subsequently lost all power. At the time, the fuel selector was positioned to the left main fuel tank. The pilot attempted to restart the engine utilizing the right main fuel tank and auxiliary fuel tanks; however, the engine did not restart. The pilot subsequently performed a forced landing to a road. During the landing, the right wing struck a telephone pole and sustained substantial damage. During an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot reported that he might have run the left fuel tank out of fuel. Examination of the left fuel tank by the FAA inspector revealed that it was empty. The FAA inspector also noted that the airplane had flown 2.16 hours, according to the tachometer, since its last fueling. The FAA inspector further stated that the left main fuel tank had a capacity of 22 gallons of fuel, and the engine consumed about 11 gallons per hour during cruise flight. The FAA inspector did not find any preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.