Incident Overview
An airplane collided with trees during a forced landing attempt. The pilot reported observing the fuel gauges indicating near empty shortly after departure. As he executed a steep 180-degree turn back toward the airport, the engine sputtered and quit. During his subsequent attempt to land in a field, the engine restarted, and the airplane took off into nearby trees. The pilot then pulled the power back and deliberately stalled the airplane into the trees.
Pilot Report
The pilot stated that he did not visually check the fuel quantity during his preflight inspection. The sequence of events began after departure when the fuel gauges showed near empty. The pilot attempted to return to the airport but experienced engine failure during the steep turn. After the engine quit, he aimed for a field but the engine restarted, and the airplane unexpectedly gained altitude and flew into trees. The pilot intentionally stalled the aircraft to mitigate the impact.
Preflight Inspection
The pilot acknowledged that he did not visually verify the fuel level before flight. Fuel gauges are subject to error, and a visual check is standard practice to confirm fuel quantity. This oversight may have contributed to the fuel exhaustion situation.