Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's improper inflight planning and decision, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the subsequent forced landing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot and passenger departed on a 325 mile leg of a cross country flight. After flying 90 miles, with the fuel gauges reading half a tank of fuel, the pilot elected to land short of his planned destination. The pilot continued another 110 miles, where 2 miles short of the new destination, and 3 hours and 30 minutes into the flight, fuel exhaustion occurred. When the pilot attempted to land on an access road near the airport, the airplane collided with a tree, impacted the ground and slid into a truck trailer.
Source record
Factual narrative
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