Flight History
The aircraft was refueled to 540 pounds at a tach time of 3908.8 hours and subsequently flown to a tach time of 3911.4 hours. It was not refueled and then departed for Portland. After 0.4 hours of flight, the pilot returned to Boise due to the right main landing gear's failure to retract. The pilot then opted to depart again and fly nonstop to Portland with the gear fully extended. The aircraft was not refueled after the 0.4-hour flight.
Second Departure and Fuel Management
The aircraft departed for Portland a second time at 1808 hours Pacific Daylight Time. The pilot later reported a fuel consumption rate of 110 pounds per hour. At 1936 hours, after discussing available fueling facilities with Redmond Flight Service Station, the pilot diverted from his route toward Redmond to obtain fuel.
Forced Landing
At approximately 1950 hours, the pilot radioed Redmond FSS that he had run out of fuel and was executing a forced landing. Dusk light conditions existed during the forced landing. The pilot reported that he did not see a canal and a dirt bank in his landing path until after he was committed to the landing site.
Accident Sequence
During the landing roll, the nose gear struck the dirt bank and separated, and the aircraft nosed over. The tach time at the accident site was 3913.6 hours.