BOUNTIFUL, UT, USA
N4461V
Rich RV3-A
The pilot recently purchased the airplane, and had accumulated 6 hours of flight experience in the airplane by the time of the accident. The day before the accident, the pilot topped-off the airplane's 24 gallon fuel tank, and flew touch and go landings for 45 minutes. On the day of the accident, he departed Skypark Airport for Brigham City, where he performed two touch and go landings. He then flew to Ogden-Hinckley Municipal Airport where he did a full stop landing. After a 45 minute stop, the pilot continued his flight to Skypark. As he approached the airport, his engine stopped. He said that his fuel gauge 'showed over 1/2,' and an airborne engine restart was unsuccessful. He performed a forced landing, and encountered a ditch during the landing roll. The FAA inspector, that went to the scene and examined the airplane, reported that he found no fuel or the smell of fuel. The total engine run time since the last refueling was not determined.
On May 21, 1999, approximately 1100 mountain daylight time, a Rich RV3-A homebuilt experimental airplane, N4461V, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Bountiful, Utah. The private pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The airplane was being operated by the pilot under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight which originated approximately 15 minutes prior to the accident. No flight plan had been filed. The pilot said that he had recently purchased the airplane, and had accumulated 6 hours of flight experience in the airplane by the time of the accident. The day before the accident, the pilot topped-off the airplane's 24 gallon fuel tank, and flew touch and go landings for 45 minutes. On the day of the accident, he departed Skypark Airport for Brigham City, where he performed two touch and go landings. He then flew to Ogden-Hinckley Municipal Airport where he did a full stop landing. After a 45 minute stop, the pilot continued his flight to Skypark. As he approached the airport, his engine stopped. He said that his fuel gauge "showed over 1/2," and an airborne engine restart was unsuccessful. He performed a forced landing, and encountered a ditch during the landing roll. The airplane's main landing gear separated from the airplane, and the airplane nosed over to the inverted position. Postaccident examination of the left wing revealed that the left main rear spar was bent. The FAA inspector, that went to the scene and examined the airplane, reported that he found no fuel or the smell of fuel. The total engine run time since the last refueling was not determined.
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning, and the subsequent fuel exhaustion during the flight. Factor was the airplane's inaccurate fuel gauge.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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