Accident Overview
An aircraft crashed during a forced landing after the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion.
Pilot Statement
The pilot acknowledged that he did not visually inspect the fuel levels prior to takeoff. He recommended that future preflight checks include a visual fuel inspection rather than relying solely on fuel gauges.
Fuel Examination
After the accident, the aircraft contained two gallons of fuel in each tank. The carburetor, which normally holds ten ounces of fuel, contained approximately one ounce. The aircraft's designed unusable fuel capacity is five gallons.