The pilot reported that during the preflight he checked the Piper Cub’s fuel sight gauges and he believed that both fuel tanks were full.
After flying for about an hour, he returned to the airport in El Cajon, California, for a straight-in approach and noticed that the fuel might be near exhaustion since he could not see the float at the bottom of the sight glass.
While on a two-mile final approach, the engine lost power.
The pilot made a forced landing to an unoccupied school playground. During the landing roll, he intentionally ground looped the Cub to prevent it from hitting a chain link fence. However, the right wing hit the fence and was substantially damaged.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection and fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
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This October 2020 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
