Incident Overview
During the flight, the pilot encountered strong headwinds and decided to divert to Waycross, Georgia. While using fuel from the right tank, the engine quit due to fuel starvation. The pilot stated that this surprised him since the right fuel gauge needle was only slightly inside the red arc. He switched to the left tank, successfully restarted the engine, and continued toward the airport, which was in sight.
Second Power Loss
While on final approach, the engine lost power again when the left tank became empty. According to reports, the left fuel gauge was also only slightly in the red arc at the time the engine quit.
Forced Landing
Unable to glide to the runway, the pilot turned to land in a field. He reported that a high sink rate developed while crossing over telephone lines in a right bank to align with the field. The aircraft impacted the ground while still in a right bank.
Probable Cause
No probable cause was stated in the source.