What happened
The flight was proceeding normally until approximately one hour had elapsed since departure. At that point, the engine lost all power, leaving the pilot with no propulsion. The pilot immediately attempted a forced landing to a nearby field. During the descent and landing maneuver, the airplane struck a tree located at the approach end of the field.
The investigation
Following the incident, investigators examined the aircraft to determine the cause of the engine failure. The examination revealed that there was no fuel in either fuel tank. This finding contradicted the pilot's initial report that he departed with 2 inches of fuel in each tank, intending to fly for only one hour. The pilot subsequently stated that he had actually departed with 23 gallons of fuel.
Findings
The primary factor leading to the accident was fuel exhaustion. The lack of fuel in the tanks directly caused the loss of engine power. The discrepancy between the initial and subsequent fuel reports suggests confusion or mismanagement regarding the available fuel quantity at departure.