ASHTON, MD, USA
N58379
Piper J-3
The pilot stated that he departed from the airplane's home base airport with about 9 gallons of fuel. The flight to Kent Island took about 45 minutes. He estimated that when he departed Kent Island to return to the home base the fuel tanks held about 5 gallons of fuel. About 40 minutes after they departed Kent Island, and about 5 miles from the destination airport, the engine lost power. The pilot stated that he chose a field to land in, but in order to avoid livestock and power lines, he '...aimed the airplane to a spot just past the middle of the field.' The airplane stuck a small wire fence with the right main landing gear. The pilot stated that the cause of the loss of engine power was fuel exhaustion.
On June 16, 1996, at 1845 eastern daylight time (EDT), a Piper J-3, N58379, sustained substantial damage when it collided with a fence and trees during the forced landing/landing roll in Ashton, Maryland. The private pilot and the one passenger reported minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, no flight plan was filed. The flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91, and originated from Kent Island, Maryland, at 1805 EDT. The intended destination was Laytonsville, Maryland. The pilot stated the flight originated from the airplane's home airport, Davis Airport, in Laytonsville, Maryland, fuel was "...estimated to be nine gallons in a twelve gallon tank." The distance being flown was 47 miles. The pilot stated: "I departed Kent [Island] at 6:05p EDT with an estimated five gallons of fuel." The pilot reported that "...after 40 minutes of flight and five miles from my intended destination (W50) the engine failed. I then searched for possible reasons for the [loss of engine power] and thought it was probably fuel starvation." The pilot reported finding a small field to land in, but that livestock and power lines were present. He stated that in order to avoid the obstacles, he had to shorten the airplane's landing distance. The pilot stated that the aircraft came to a stop after striking a wire fence. The pilot stated: "I looked in the fuel tank and confirmed that it had run dry." He also stated that the probable cause of this accident was pilot error.
the pilot's inadequate fuel supply which resulted in a fuel exhaustion and a loss of engine power. A related factor was the pilot's inadequate fuel consumption calculations.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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