LAX00LA341 · Piper PA-28-161

Due to a loss of engine power, the pilot made a forced landing in an open field and collided with desert shrubs before coming to rest inverted. The pilot stated that he had refueled to maximum tank capacity prior to takeoff and calculated the en route time to the planned refueling stop at 4 hours 15 minutes. He stated that he was 4 hours 10 minutes into the flight and near the refueling airport when the engine quit. He contacted the local tower and informed them that he was out of fuel and was going to try to land on a highway. He had to maneuver to avoid on-coming vehicular traffic and landed in the brush-covered field. Responding personnel did not see or smell fuel in the airplane or on the ground surrounding the airplane. Mechanical continuity was established in the engine during an examination. With the fuel pump turned on, a fuel leak was found at the fuel line fitting where it enters the carburetor. The leak rate with just the boost pump on was 1 drop per minute. Heavy fuel staining was noted on the carburetor bowl below the bowl seal gasket and around the line fitting, and on induction hoses directly below this point. The heavy and thick stain residue was consistent with a long-term leak. Review of the logbooks revealed that the engine had been reinstalled after an overhaul about 8 days prior to the accident. A remote fuel source was attached to the fuel fitting of the left wing and an engine ground run to full power was conducted with no discrepancies noted. According to the airplane manufacture, this airplane holds 48 gallons of fuel with 4 gallons unusable fuel. The range/cruise performance charts in the Airplane Flight Manual shows a Best Power fuel consumption of 9.0 gallons per hour at 65 percent power, and 10.5 gallons per hour at 75 percent power. The endurance time shown in the charts for 65 percent power is 5.5 hours.

Verbatim NTSB analysis and probable cause from the NTSB dataset