SELMA, CA, USA
N32322
Piper PA-28-180
The airplane collided with grapevines during a forced landing following a loss of engine power while in cruise flight. The pilot was in contact with air traffic control just prior to the forced landing and reported he had experienced fuel exhaustion. An examination of the airplane following the accident indicated there was no fuel in the fuel tanks and no evidence of fuel spillage or fuel tank rupture.
On June 19, 2000, about 2000 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180, N32322, collided with terrain following a loss of engine power during cruise flight near Selma, California. The private pilot, the owner and operator of the airplane, and his passenger were not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage during the forced landing and subsequent impact with grapevines and a fence. The flight was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 and was destined for Ontario, California. The pilot did not file a flight plan but was receiving flight following when the engine lost power. The personal cross-country flight had departed from Eugene, Oregon, approximately 1600. According to the pilot, he was originally going to stop in Merced, California, and found there was no fuel available. He then headed for Visalia, California, and was about 2 miles south of Selma when the engine lost power. In his report, the pilot stated that the engine quit while he was in cruise flight. He stated he completed the emergency engine restart procedure without success. He then attempted to reach the nearest airport, Selma, and force landed in a vineyard. At the time of the engine power loss, the pilot was in contact with Fresno TRACON. He reported to the controller that he had exhausted the fuel. An inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration Fresno Flight Standards District Office examined the airplane on June 20, 2000. Upon arrival at the accident site the inspector checked the airplane's fuel tanks. He stated he did not find any fuel in either fuel tank, and that there was no evidence of fuel spillage or fuel tank rupture. A copy of a fuel receipt indicated that the airplane had been fueled with 37 gallons of 100LL fuel at Eugene, at 1332, on the day of the accident.
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning that resulted in fuel exhaustion and subsequent collision with grapevines during an off airport forced landing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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