Amateur-built 1RG N324DJ accident near Hagerstown, Maryland

Probable cause

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

NTSB analysis

The pilot dropped off the airplane for repairs 6 months before the accident with the fuel tanks about half full of fuel. When the pilot picked up the airplane, he completed a preflight inspection and observed fuel in the fuel tanks but could not say how much fuel was present. He did not add any fuel. He took off and stayed in the traffic pattern, and after his third touch-and-go landing, the engine lost all power. The pilot circled to land on an intersecting runway, and the airplane stalled while on final approach to the runway. The airplane contacted the terrain short of the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and the left wing.

Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any fuel in the tanks, and no preimpact mechanical malfunctions were identified. It is likely that the engine consumed the remaining fuel during the engine run-up, taxi, and subsequent touch-and-go landings, resulting in the loss of engine power.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA20LA332 for the full record.