CEN22LA260

Factual narrative

On June 19, 2022, about 1030 central daylight time, a Smith Miniplane DSA-1, N208C, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Union, Nebraska. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot stated that, while cruising about 1,000 ft above ground level, the engine lost power. He landed the airplane into a wooded area, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings, the empennage, and fuselage. Post-accident examination revealed that no fuel was present in the fuel line from the engine-driven pump to the carburetor. The carburetor bowl was completely dry and clean, with a small amount of fuel in the accelerator pump cavity. The fuel tank was empty when viewed with a borescope, and the fuel selector valve was in the open position. No anomalies were noted with the fuel cap vent, filler neck, carburetor, cylinders, magnetos, or the engine’s mechanical continuity. The airplane was not equipped with a fuel quantity gauge. The pilot reported that, while in cruise flight about 1,000 ft above ground level, the engine began running rough. The pilot subsequently made a forced landing into a wooded area, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. Postaccident examination revealed that no fuel was present in the fuel line from the engine-driven pump to the carburetor. The carburetor bowl was completely dry, and the fuel tank was empty when viewed with a borescope. No anomalies were observed with the fuel cap vent, filler neck, carburetor, engine cylinders, magnetos, or the engine’s mechanical continuity. Based on the available evidence, it is likely that the airplane’s fuel supply was exhausted due to the pilot’s inadequate fuel planning, leading to a loss of engine power and forced landing. The airplane was not equipped with a fuel quantity gauge, which likely contributed to the pilot’s lack of awareness of the airplane’s low fuel state. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• — Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot
• — Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid management