Event GAA18CA264

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that he departed with about 40 to 45 gallons of fuel for a calculated 3.9 tach hour flight with a 10 gallon per hour fuel burn. He added that, en route, the engine sputtered and he knew the right fuel tank was empty. He switched to the left fuel tank and continued to the destination airport. About 30 minutes from the destination airport, the engine sputtered and experienced a total loss of power. During the forced landing, the airplane landed in a parking lot and impacted a pole. The pilot reported that the airplane "ran out of gas". The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that he departed with about 40 to 45 gallons of fuel for a calculated 3.9-tach-hour flight with a 10 gallon per hour fuel burn. He added that, en route, the engine sputtered, and he knew the right fuel tank was empty. He switched to the left fuel tank and continued to the destination airport. About 30 minutes from the destination airport, the engine sputtered and experienced a total loss of power. During the forced landing, the airplane landed in a parking lot and impacted a pole. The pilot reported that the airplane "ran out of gas." The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Pole-Contributed to outcome