MINDEN, LA, USA
N177TJ
Owens/Smyth SIDEWINDER
During flight, at about 2,500 feet, the engine lost power. A forced landing was made to a field with small saplings and bushes, and the airplane came to rest in an inverted position. The pilot reported that he departed Memphis with 17 gallons of fuel on board. The FAA inspector on the scene of the accident reported that he drained 3 tablespoons of fuel from the fuel tank. The pilot reported as a safety recommendation, 'When calibrating fuel capacity and markings for [the] fuel gauge, fuel should have been drained to see how the fuel gauge indicated as fuel was being used.'
On June 16, 1996, approximately 1815 central daylight time, an Owens/Smyth Sidewinder homebuilt airplane, N177TJ, registered to and operated by a private owner, was destroyed during a forced landing following a loss of engine power in the vicinity of Minden, Louisiana. The private pilot and his passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal cross country flight that originated near Memphis, Tennessee, 1 hour and 25 minutes earlier. The pilot reported that he was at about 2,500 feet MSL and about 15 miles from his destination airport of Shreveport Downtown Airport in Shreveport, Louisiana, when the airplane's engine lost power. The pilot landed the airplane in a right wing low attitude in a field covered with small saplings and bushes. Control was lost, and the airplane came to rest in the inverted position. The airplane came to rest in an inverted position. In the enclosed Pilot/Operator Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2), the pilot stated that he departed Memphis with 17 gallons of fuel on board. The FAA inspector on the scene of the accident reported that he drained 3 tablespoons of fuel from the fuel tank. The pilot reported as a safety recommendation, "When calibrating fuel capacity and markings for [the] fuel gauge, fuel should have been drained to see how the fuel gauge indicated as fuel was being used."
The pilot's improper fuel consumption calculations resulting in fuel exhaustion. A factor was the unsuitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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