Amateur-built Phase II N5057Z accident near Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Probable cause

The total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, which resulted from the pilot's inadequate preflight fuel inspection.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, while the trike was at cruise flight about 800 ft above ground level, the engine lost power. He attempted to restart the engine to no avail and then initiated a landing in open desert. During the landing roll, the trike impacted a large boulder. Postaccident examination of the trike revealed that it had run out of fuel. The pilot added that the trike was not equipped with a fuel quantity gauge and that the only way to verify the fuel level was to visually look in the fuel tank. Additionally, he thought he had a full tank of fuel before takeoff. The trike sustained substantial damage to the forward upright wing support tubes. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the trike that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR20CA056 for the full record.