Safety Board: Ounces of Fuel in Tank When Plane Crashed

Only 6 to 8 ounces of fuel were recovered from the tank of a single-engine plane that , according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which said there were no signs that the tank had a leak.

But the pilot said he had half a tank when he took off for a brief flight, according to the NTSB report.

The NTSB released its report on the crash, in which two men were seriously injured but , on Oct. 25. The pilot, Taylor Smith, of Wainscott, took off with passenger Daniel Willman III, of Connecticut, from . According to the NTSB accident report, Smith said in a written statement that he intended to take a 30 minute flight, and when he flew over the private airstrip at Foster Farm in Sagaponack he decided to land.

Citing witness reports, the NTSB said the plane made a low approach over the airstrip, then added power and made a left turn.

"One witness also noted that during the climb, the engine 'coughed, then ran fine again,'" the NTSB report reads. "Another witness stated that as the airplane climbed, the engine didn't appear to be making full power, then it went to full power momentarily before losing power."

A third witness said the engine would "go on and off ... then stopped making noise," and a fourth witness heard the engine "cutting out and then start up again," according to the report, which also stated, "The airplane subsequently descended into a corn field."

The NTSB said Smith wrote in his statement that after setting up for landing then deciding to go around and turning left, he experienced at engine problem at an elevation of 200 to 300 feet. "He immediately turned the airplane toward the runway, checking airspeed, magnetos and carburetor heat," the NTSB reported. "With no improvement in engine performance, the pilot elected to land in a corn field adjacent to the airstrip."

A Federal Aviation Administration inspector told the NTSB that the plane cut a 25-foot swath through standing corn before coming to rest upside-down. The engine and fuel tank showed no signs of leakage and the fuel cap was secure, the reports states. After the plane was moved, the fuel tank was emptied into a white bucket and only 6 to 8 ounces of fuel was recovered, according to the NTSB.

The report states that Smith told FAA inspectors that he ordered fuel prior to taking off, but with none available he opted to take off with what he determined with a flashlight to be 12 gallons of fuel in the tank.

An attendant at the airport told the FAA that Smith requested fuel at 9 a.m.  Smith then returned at 9:30 a.m. to inquire about the delivery, and the attendant told him he'd have to wait another 15 to 20 minutes, the report states.

Willman told FAA inspectors that Smith opted not to wait for fuel and said the tank was about half full.