What happened
While en route to its destination, the aircraft's engine lost power. The pilot attempted an in-flight restart but was unsuccessful. Consequently, a forced landing was initiated on a nearby private airstrip.
During the landing sequence, the airplane initially touched down on the runway surface. However, the aircraft ballooned upward and subsequently touched down a second time with all three pieces of landing gear contacting the ground. Upon impact, the nose gear collapsed. The airplane then slid to a stop.
The investigation
A post-crash examination of the aircraft was conducted to determine the cause of the engine failure. Inspectors analyzed the fuel system and tanks to verify fuel quantity and quality at the time of the incident.
Findings
The examination revealed that the fuel tanks contained only unusable fuel, indicating fuel exhaustion as the primary factor in the loss of power. The aircraft sustained damage to the nose gear and fuselage structure due to the hard landing and subsequent slide.