What happened
On the day of the accident, a pilot was engaged in banner towing operations. After completing the towing of a third banner for an estimated duration of 1 1/4 hours, the pilot was in the process of returning to the departure airport when the aircraft's engine experienced a complete failure.
In response to the loss of power, the pilot selected the closest available field that appeared suitable for landing. The pilot subsequently executed a forced landing on an area characterized by rough sand dunes. The pilot, who held a commercial pilot certificate and had approximately 633 total flight hours, reported that he had been performing banner towing duties for two seasons.
Regarding fuel management, the pilot stated that he typically timed his fuel burn to ensure a one-hour reserve remained. Because the aircraft was not equipped with an electric fuel quantity indicator, the pilot monitored fuel levels by tracking the cumulative flight hours of the aircraft. At the time of the engine failure, the pilot estimated that there was approximately one hour of fuel remaining in the tanks.