N25BK

On August 26, 1993, at 2000 central daylight time (cdt), a Cessna 172L, N25BK, registered to Wings Aviation, Incorporated, of St. Louis, Missouri, and piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it collided with a telephone pole while executing a forced landing on a road following an engine failure during cruise flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operated under a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries. The flight departed Omaha, Nebraska, at 1730 CDT.

The pilot stated he had been enroute from Omaha, Nebraska, to St. Louis, Missouri, for approximately 2 1/2 hours when the engine stopped running. He stated he attempted to glide the airplane to a nearby airport but realized the airplane could not reach it. He said he landed N25BK on a small road and, during the landing rollout, the right wing collided with a utility pole. The airplane's final resting position was a field adjacent to the road N25BK had landed on.

During an interview with an FAA Principal Operations Inspector (POI) the pilot stated he had departed Omaha, Nebraska, with approximately 36 gallons of fuel on board the airplane. According to the POI's statement, the pilot said he did not visually check the fuel tanks or look at the fuel gauges prior to departing Omaha, Nebraska.

The on-scene investigation revealed N25BK's fuel tanks were empty. No fuel stains were observed on the airplane's wings in the proximity of the fuel cap locations. No fuel stains were observed elsewhere on the airframe according to the Federal Aviation Administration s (FAA) Principal Maintenance Inspector (PMI) assisting with the investigation. The PMI stated he drained approximately six ounces of fuel from the fuel strainer and it did not appear contaminated. The right wing separated from the airframe at the wing strut attach point. The right wing inboard section, wing root to wing strut attach point, was bent downward approximately 30 degrees. This section of the right wing was found angled back about 30 degrees from its normal position. The left wing tip was bent upward at an approximate 20 degree angle.