WPR16LA113

The student pilot was on a multi-leg, solo, cross-country flight. He stated that, while in cruise on the last leg of the flight, the engine began to sputter, so he switched the fuel selector from the right tank position to the left tank position. Shortly after switching fuel tanks, the engine experienced a total loss of power and the student performed a forced landing to an orange orchard. First responders reported that there was no fuel leaking from the airplane, and no fuel was observed in the airplane's fuel tanks. The student stated that, before the flight, he had filled the fuel tanks to the filler tabs, which equated to 37.4 total gallons of useable fuel. Review of performance information for the airplane revealed that the airplane would have used about 35.4 gallons of fuel at the time of the accident. However, variations in wind or engine power settings may have resulted in a higher fuel consumption on the accident flight. In a subsequent interview, the student pilot stated that he had exhausted the fuel in the right tank and could not restart the engine before the forced landing.

On May 14, 2016, about 1100 Pacific daylight time, a Beechcraft C23 "Sundowner" airplane, N3724Y, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing, following a loss of engine power, in an orange orchard near Delano, California. The student pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was owned by a private individual and operated by the student pilot as a personal, cross-country flight under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight. The student pilot stated that he departed from the Bakersfield Municipal Airport (L45), Bakersfield, California, and flew to the west side of the valley practicing maneuvers before flying to Porterville Airport (PTV), Porterville, California, for a quick stop. The pilot then departed PTV, destined to Shafter Airport – Minter Field (MIT), Shafter, California. While en route, in the vicinity of Delano, the pilot stated that the airplane engine began to sputter. He switched the fuel selector from the right tank position to the left tank position. Shortly after he switched fuel tanks, the engine lost total power and he could not get it restarted, so he initiated a forced landing to an orange orchard. During the forced landing the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot stated that he had filled the fuel tanks to the filler tabs, which equates to 37.4 gallons of useable fuel. Review of performance information for the make and model airplane revealed that, based on the reported fuel onboard the airplane at the beginning of the day, the airplane would have used about 35.4 gallons of fuel at the time of the accident. First responders to the accident scene reported that there was no fuel leaking from the airplane, and no fuel was observed in the airplane fuel tanks. In a later telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, the pilot stated that he had run the right fuel tank out of fuel and couldn't get the engine primed before the forced landing occurred.