N6146E

On August 16, 1995, at 1800 central daylight time (cdt), a Cessna 172, N6146E, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it collided with trees and terrain during a forced landing. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries. The flight departed Carmi, Illinois, exact time unknown.

During a telephone interview the pilot said he was on final approach for runway 16 at the Palwaukee Airport, Wheeling, Illinois, when his engine stopped running. He said the engine ran rough for a few moments and quit when he applied carburetor heat. The pilot said he had flown about 4 hours and 5 minutes before the engine stopped running. The pilot said he dip-sticked both fuel tanks before refueling. He said he did not check the fuel level after the tanks were filled.

The pilot said his cruising altitude between Carmi, Illinois, and Wheeling, Illinois, was 2,500 feet above mean sea level. He said he ran the engine at 2,450 RPM during the flight. According to the pilot, he had leaned the mixture for the flight.

A flight instructor said he saw the airplane "wallowing around" on final approach for runway 16. The airplane had 20 degrees of flaps extended and its propeller was not turning, according to the witness. He said the airplane was about 80 feet above the ground when it pitched up and stalled. He said the airplane pitched down and collided with the trees shortly afterwards. According to the witness, the airplane cartwheeled after its wing collided with trees. The witness looked at the airplane a short time later. He said he looked into the fuel tanks and noted both were, "...bone dry... ." He said he did not see or smell fuel near the airplane.

The Federal Aviation Administration Principal Maintenance Inspector (PMI) said he did not observe fuel in the wing tanks. He said there was no fuel around the airplane. The PMI said there were no mechanical anomalies with the airframe, control system or engine that would prevent flight.

Based on the pilot's stated cruise power setting, the airplane's endurance was calculated. The cruise performance chart for N6146E was supplied by the manufacturer. According to the "Cruise Performance With Rich Mixture" chart, the airplane's endurance would be about 3.9 hours. The "Cruise Performance With Lean Mixture" chart showed its endurance would be about 4.4 hours. The hourly figures do not take taxi, takeoff, and climb to cruise altitude into consideration. A copy of this chart is appended to the report.