What happened
The pilot was operating the aircraft on a flight from Omaha, Nebraska, to St. Louis, Missouri. Before departing Omaha, the pilot reported adding 12 gallons of fuel to the tanks. Approximately 2 1/2 hours into the flight, the engine stopped running.
In response to the engine failure, the pilot performed an emergency landing on a road. During the landing rollout, the right wing of the aircraft collided with a utility pole. The impact caused the right wing to separate from the airplane at the wing strut attach point. The aircraft came to its final resting place in a field adjacent to the road. The pilot was not injured.
The investigation
An on-scene investigation determined that the fuel tanks were empty at the time of the accident. The pilot stated that he did not perform a check of the fuel gauges or the fuel tanks prior to departing from Omaha, Nebraska.