Aviat Aircraft Inc A-1C-180 N354BM accident near Cincinnati, Ohio

Probable cause

The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection and fuel planning, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

NTSB analysis

The private pilot was conducting a personal flight. After practicing stop-and-go landings, he departed, turned the airplane to the left, climbed to 1,800 ft mean sea level, reduced power to 40% to 45%, and activated the lean-of-peak assist feature on the engine instrumentation. As he leaned the mixture and watched for the first cylinder to reach peak exhaust gas temperature, a fuel flow sensor malfunction indicator light appeared on the engine instrumentation. The pilot subsequently enriched the mixture, but the sensor malfunction indication continued, and the engine lost power. After attempting to restart the engine, the pilot conducted a forced landing to a golf course. During the landing roll, the right wing tip and right elevator struck a tree, which resulted in structural damage. Examination of the engine, airframe, and fuel system did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The fuel tanks were not damaged, and there was no evidence of fuel leakage at the accident site. However, only about 2 gallons of fuel were found remaining in the airplane. The 2 gallons were unusable. The engine instrumentation system was powered up, and the "fuel remaining" indicated 17.6 gallons. Per the system pilot's guide, the pilot is required to perform a "first time set up" that includes calibrating the fuel flow transducer. This calibration has a direct input into how the system computes the airplane's remaining fuel. This task was never accomplished, which provided the pilot with an erroneous "fuel remaining" indication. The pilot reported that he did not physically check the wing tank fuel quantity tubes that were in the cockpit or "dip" the fuel tanks to verify fuel quantity. Thus, it is likely that the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN15LA303 for the full record.