Milford Municipal Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Milford, Utah 84751
Wednesday, July 9, 1997 9:45 MDT

The pilot reported that while cruising about 13,500 feet mean seal level over the Rocky Mountains, the engine abruptly stopped. The pilot switched fuel tanks and achieved a restart and then continued to his destination. Approaching the destination, the aircraft developed a moderate vibration which subsided with the reduction and re-application of throttle. The pilot executed a normal approach but was high and initiated a go-around. During the left crosswind turn, the engine abruptly quit for a second time, and the pilot executed a forced landing. During the landing roll, the aircraft's main landing gear folded and collapsed. Post-accident examination of the aircraft revealed 3.5 gallons of fuel remaining in the left wing and 1.5 gallons of fuel remaining in the right wing. The pilot stated that he had departed with full fuel tanks on this flight, which was his first long-distance flight in the experimental airplane. The aircraft's records indicated that its fuel capacity was 60 gallons, of which 56 gallons were considered usable fuel; however the actual fuel capacity and unusable fuel were not verified after the accident. The pilot stated that the aircraft did not have a flight manual, so he based his estimates of 10 gallons per hour fuel burn rate and 130 knots cruise speed at high altitude as a conservative interpretation of the information that had been given to him by the airplane's previous owner (8 to 9 gallons per hour, and 140 knots cruise speed). The pilot flight-planned for an estimated flight time of three hours, and estimated that he would have consumed about half of the fuel carried in the airplane. While en route, he determined that his true airspeed and ground speed were about 103 knots; less than what he had been told by the airplane's previous owner. Actual total flight time for the flight was four hours. No evidence of preexisting mechanical anomalies was found during the post-accident inspection of the damaged airplane.

Loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Factors include the pilot's fuel consumption calculations based upon insufficient or erroneous information provided by the amateur-built airplane's builder and previous owner, and terrain conditions not suitable for a successful forced landing.