The airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing onto a road at about 1730 Pacific time. The commercial pilot and the pilot-rated passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot reported visually checking fuel quantity and determining he had enough fuel to make the cross-country flight and return. On the return leg, the engine sputtered; the pilot switched to the other fuel tank and the engine ran normally for a short time, then lost power. On-scene examination revealed the airplane was equipped with an exhaust system placarded “fuel flow/use may be higher than normal…”
June 8, 2011, Santa Clarita, Calif., Cessna 177 Cardinal
The airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing onto a road at about 1730 Pacific time. The commercial pilot and the pilot-rated passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot reported visually checking fuel quantity and determining he had enough fuel to make the cross-country flight and return.
Key Takeaways:
- An airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing on a road after experiencing an engine power loss.
- The engine power loss was attributed to apparent fuel exhaustion, despite the pilot visually checking fuel quantity before the flight.
- The aircraft was equipped with an exhaust system placarded for potentially higher-than-normal fuel consumption, which may have contributed to the incident.
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