Forced Landing After Repeated Engine Power Losses (N35326)

Incident Overview and Fueling Details Before departure, the aircraft's fuel tanks were filled until the fuel supply automatically shut off due to nozzle-to-fuel contact. The pilot did not visually confirm that the tanks were filled to the filler neck. The first leg of the flight was uneventful and lasted approximately 1 hour and 24 minutes. During the return flight, the engine lost power as the airplane was approaching the destination airport. The pilot successfully restarted the engine, but it lost power again; this sequence occurred several times. The pilot executed a forced landing in a field about 2-1/2 miles from the airport. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered soft terrain and nosed over. The pilot stated that the right fuel tank gauge indicated 1/4 capacity at the time of the initial power loss. The mixture control remained in the full rich position during both legs of the flight. Post-accident examination by an FAA inspector revealed only residual fuel in the fuel tanks. No discrepancies were noted to the fuel indication system. Four gallons of fuel were added to the right fuel tank, which registered just above empty on the fuel gauge. The engine was started and operated normally. The performance charts for the airplane were predicated in part on leaning the mixture.