RV-8 N8EV accident near Bennettsville, South Carolina

Probable cause

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

NTSB analysis

As the pilot prepared for the accident flight he observed an unquantified amount of fuel in the airplane’s fuel tanks and assumed that the airplane had been fully refueled after his request to the airport fuel provider 5 days prior. He subsequently reset the airplane’s fuel totalizer to indicate full fuel tanks and departed. About 1.5 hours into the flight, while cruising at an altitude of about 8,000 ft. mean sea level, the airplane’s engine lost power completely. He diverted towards a nearby airport and made a series of descending turns to lose altitude. When he made his turn to a 1-mile final approach to the runway, he had lost too much altitude and made a forced landing in a field ¼-mile off the approach end of the runway. The left and right main landing gear separated from the fuselage during the landing and the fuselage and wings sustained substantial damage.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that both fuel tanks were absent of fuel. The examination otherwise found no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. According to the fuel provider at the departure airport, they had no record indicating that the airplane had been serviced with fuel prior to the accident pilot’s departure. Given this information, it is likely that the loss of engine power was the result of fuel exhaustion.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA25LA162 for the full record.