FTW02LA225 · Southworth EAA Bi-Plane May Bee

The pilot purchased the single-place airplane on the day of the accident and was briefed by the previous owner that the airplane burned 8-10 gallons of fuel per hour. The main fuel tank (16 gallons) was topped off and the pilot elected to not fill the auxiliary fuel tank (8 gallons), in order to remain within the airplane's weight and balance limitations. The pilot spent approximately 5-10 minutes taxiing the airplane and performing the pre-takeoff engine run-up. At 1620, the flight departed for a 64 nautical mile flight, and arrived at 1710. The pilot intended on landing at the municipal airport; however, upon landing, the pilot realized that he had landed at an abandoned airstrip used by agricultural operators, located 2 miles southwest of the municipal airport. There were no fuel services available at the airstrip, and the pilot noted that the airplane's fuel gauge indicated 8 gallons. The pilot elected to depart and fly to another airport 27 miles south to re-fuel, rather than traveling back north to the municipal airport. The pilot estimated that the he was on the ground approximately 5-10 minutes prior to departing. The flight departed and 15 minutes later, when the airplane was in cruise flight at 2,500 feet, the engine began sputtering and then lost power. The fuel gauge indicated that 1/2 tank of fuel remained at the time the engine lost power. The pilot noted a high sink rate and lowered the nose, while simultaneously banking to the right to avoid obstructions. Subsequently, the airplane entered a spin to the right before impacting a grass field. The fuel system was compromised during the accident. The fuel system contained only residual fuel and there was no evidence of fuel at the accident site.

Verbatim NTSB analysis and probable cause from the NTSB dataset