What happened
Prior to the flight, the pilot topped off the aircraft with 72 gallons of fuel. After flying for 1.25 hours, the pilot made an intermediate stop where no additional fuel was acquired. Upon departing at 1150 hours, the fuel gauges indicated that the tanks were slightly more than half full.
During the descent toward the final destination, the aircraft experienced a loss of power on the left engine. The pilot was forced to manually hand pump the landing gear and flaps into the down position. This process consumed most of the available runway length, necessitating a single-engine go-around. Following the go-around, the pilot attempted to manually hand pump the gear and flaps back into the up position; however, the aircraft was unable to establish a positive climb. To avoid striking power lines, the pilot executed an intentional forced landing.
At 1335 hours, the aircraft impacted several fence posts during the landing sequence.
The investigation
A post-crash examination of the aircraft conducted by a mechanic revealed that there was no fuel remaining in the fuel tanks. Additionally, no odor of fuel was detected in or around the wreckage.