of eng power. Examination of the wreckage disclosed about four fluid ounces of fuel remaining in fuel tanks. Entry on maintenance discrepancy sheet read 'fuel gauges are 100% unreliable. Check tanks visually.’ Probable cause(s): Fuel exhaustion. Contributing Factors: Inadequate PIC preflight. October 4, 1985 in Jacksonville, Florida, Piper PA-32-300, N8614N, Injuries: 1 Uninjured: After departure flight experienced loss of engine power and visible smoke coming from the windshield exhaust ducts. The engine subsequently failed but the pilot was able to regain power and return to the airport for a normal landing. Post landing inspection of the aircraft revealed an exhaust pipe had cracked and caused the lower engine cowling to catch fire just forward of the engine air intake. The exhaust had cracked where a previous repair had been made due to a previous crack. The repair was improper due to the weld not fully penetrating the cracked metal. Probable cause(s): Cracked exhaust system, manifold/pipe. Contributing Factors: Improper maintenance. January 17, 1989 KFMY, Piper PA-32-300, N4763T, Injuries: 1 Minor. The pilot stated that during the initial climb after takeoff, he heard a 'pop' & the engine started running rough. He turned back toward the airport. About 2 min later, there was a loud noise, which was followed by a progressive loss of all power. Subsequently, the aircraft was damaged during an emergency landing at night in a marshy area about 1 to 2 mi from the airport. An exam of the engine revealed the #5 connecting rod cap bolt had failed, which resulted in further damage of the engine. Probable cause: Failure of the #5 connecting rod bolt. Factors related to the accident were: Dark night and the soft and wet (marshy) terrain conditions in the emergency landing area. February 26, 1990 KSRQ, Cessna 210, N525CW, Injuries: 1 Serious: The commercial pilot was on initial climb at 200 feet AGL from the Sarasota-Bradenton airport, Sarasota, FL, when the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot was on a non scheduled air taxi flight in VFR conditions. No flight plan was filed. The pilot conducted an emergency descent, and forced landing back to the departure airport. On landing roll, the airplane experienced an on ground collision with a dirt bank and was destroyed. The pilot sustained serious injuries. Examination of the crankshaft by the NTSB materials laboratory revealed the crankshaft failed due to fatigue cracking of undetermined origin.