MAULE MXT-7-180 — Parkers Parairie, MN

What happened

The pilot was returning home from a cross-country business trip when the accident occurred. A witness reported hearing a "loud pop" that sounded like an "engine backfiring" followed by the sound of impact. Another witness reported seeing the airplane flying low and hearing the engine sputter just before the airplane impacted terrain. The airplane impacted a snow-covered field and traveled about 300 ft before it came to rest. First responders reported smelling fuel near the main wreckage. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any mechanical anomalies that would have resulted in the accident.

The airplane's fuel tanks were filled before departure. Each main fuel tank held 20 gallons of usable fuel, and each auxiliary fuel tank held 15 gallons of fuel. The main fuel tanks supplied fuel to the engine. The fuel selector was found in the "both" position. The auxiliary fuel tanks replenished the main fuel tanks via transfer pumps that were turned on by switches in the cockpit when needed; the fuel transfer pump switches were not located in the wreckage. The airplane's estimated fuel consumption rate was about 9 gallons per hour. According to the tachometer, the flight was 4.1 hours long, which would have used about 37 gallons of fuel plus additional fuel for taxi and climb. Thus, it is likely that the pilot did not transfer fuel from the auxiliary fuel tanks to the main fuel tanks in a timely manner, which resulted in the engine being starved of available fuel.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.