Piper PA 28-236 accident near Tishomingo, Oklahoma, January 13, 2018

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The private pilot departed on a cross-country flight; he reported that 35 to 40 gallons of fuel were in the airplane's fuel tanks for a flight that he thought would require 20 gallons of fuel. As the airplane was nearing the destination, the pilot was concerned about the fuel level in the left tank because the fuel gauge indicated that the tank was between one-quarter full and empty and no fuel remained in the right tank, which the pilot had intentionally run dry. The pilot elected to divert to ensure that the airplane would have adequate fuel to complete the flight to the destination. Upon landing at the diversion airpark, the pilot learned that the airpark had no fuel. The pilot subsequently took off from the airpark, and the airplane reached an altitude of about 1,500 ft above ground level when the engine "sputtered." The pilot attempted to return to the airpark, but the airplane could not clear the trees in the area. The pilot attempted a forced landing, but the airplane impacted the trees and subsequently impacted terrain. The airplane was in an inverted position at the time of impact. The pilot reported that the left tank "apparently goes empty somewhere prior to the E [empty] on the fuel gauge." However, the pilot did not mention whether he visually checked the amount of fuel before leaving the diversion airpark. Thus, the pilot likely departed without sufficient fuel on board to complete the flight to another diversion airpark. Further, the fuel amount was lower than the pilot expected during the flight, which was consistent with poor preflight fuel planning and in-flight fuel monitoring.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.