NTSB CAROL · Event
Event DEN07CA105
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and preparation, and improper in-flight decisions resulting in fuel exhaustion. A factor was the unsuitable terrain for landing.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported being approximately 7,200 feet, 3 miles south of the airport, when the airplane's engine began to run rough. The pilot turned back toward the airport and then determined that he would not be able to reach it. About that time, the engine "stopped completely." The pilot decided to attempt a forced landing to a hilly pasture. During the forced landing the airplane impacted the rough terrain, the landing gear sheared off, and the right wing bent upward approximately 3 feet inboard of the tip. Inspectors at the scene reported the right wing was also broken aft at the wing root. The pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries. An examination of the airplane showed the left wing fuel tank empty. The right wing fuel tank showed some residual fuel. The airplane's fuel selector valve was positioned to the left wing fuel tank. Flight control continuity was confirmed. An examination of the engine, engine controls, and other airplane systems showed no anomalies. The pilot reported being approximately 7,200 feet, 3 miles south of the airport, when the airplane's engine began to run rough. The pilot turned back toward the airport and then determined that he would not be able to reach it. About that time, the engine "stopped completely." The pilot decided to attempt a forced landing to a hilly pasture. During the forced landing the airplane impacted the rough terrain, the landing gear sheared off, and the right wing bent upward approximately 3 feet inboard of the tip. Inspectors at the scene reported the right wing was also broken aft at the wing root. The pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries. An examination of the airplane showed the left wing fuel tank empty. The right wing fuel tank showed some residual fuel. The airplane's fuel selector valve was positioned to the left wing fuel tank. Flight control continuity was confirmed. An examination of the engine, engine controls, and other airplane systems showed no anomalies. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2007_DEN07CA105.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel exhaustion). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- AOPA Air Safety Institute 2023 · Safety advisor
Safety Advisor: Fuel Awareness
AOPA Air Safety Institute safety advisor on preventing fuel-exhaustion and fuel-starvation accidents in general aviation. Covers pre-flight fuel planning, reserve requirements (14 CFR 91.151, 91.167),…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Abstract
U.S. Civil Rotorcraft Accidents, 1963 through 1997
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recorded 8,436 rotorcraft accidents during the period mid - 1963 through the end of 1997.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR)
A study of carburetor/induction system icing in general aviation accidents
An assessment of the frequency and severity of carburetor/induction icing in general-aviation accidents was performed. The available literature and accident data from the National Transportation Safet…
- NASA NTRS 2018 · Other
Parachuting to Safety
NASA's Langley Research Center awarded Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc., three Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts to research and develop a new, low cost, lightweight recovery system …
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