Amateur-built P 70 N567CM accident near Great Bend, Kansas

Probable cause

The pilot's improper preflight planning, which led to a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's loss of airplane control during the forced landing.

NTSB analysis

The private pilot was conducting a local personal flight. An employee of the fixed-based operator reported that, before takeoff, the pilot topped off the airplane's 18-gallon fuel tank. A witness reported hearing the airplane approach his residence from the north about 2 hours later. The witness said he saw the airplane come out of a cloud bank and that it looked like it was trying to climb at a 45-degree angle. He subsequently saw it in a 45-degree, nose-down pitch angle descending toward the ground. The airplane impacted in a corn field located 6 miles north of pilot's home airport. The witness said the engine sounded "weak as if it had no power" and that, as the airplane was descending, the pilot "was trying to pull up."

An examination of the airplane at the accident site showed that the airplane impacted the ground in a nose-down, steep descent. Flight control continuity was confirmed. Both of the propeller blades were broken at the hub and showed no signs of driving power. An examination of the engine revealed no anomalies that would have prevented it from producing power.

The airplane's fuel tank could hold 18.06 gallons of fuel. The engine manufacturer estimated that the engine's fuel consumption rate at a normal power setting was between 10.5 and 11 gallons per hour; therefore, the airplane would have been able to fly for 1 hour 42 minutes. It is likely that the pilot did not properly plan for the flight, which was longer than allowed by the airplane's total fuel quantity and resulted in loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. During the subsequent forced landing to the field, the pilot lost airplane control.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN14FA288 for the full record.