PIPER PA18-160

Full Narrative

The pilot stated that he filled the airplane's fuel tanks to capacity, a total of 36 gallons, prior to departing on the flight to the banner tow site, which was approximately 2 hours away. After picking up the banner, he flew the banner for about 35 minutes before dropping it back at the airport. He then departed to an airport approximately 27 miles away in order to refuel the airplane. After landing at the airport, the pilot found the fuel pump locked and departed to a second airport approximately 20 miles away. The pilot stated that the weather began to deteriorate, and he decided to turn around. The pilot then elected to divert to a third airport. Approximately seven miles from the airport, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot conducted a forced landing to a railroad track, and during the landing rollout, the airplane's right wing impacted a pole. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing. During postaccident examination of the airplane, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector plumbed fuel to the engine, after which it started and ran with no anomalies.