What happened
During the flight, the aircraft experienced a loss of engine power. The pilot attempted a forced landing on terrain that was characterized as soft and rough. During the landing sequence, the aircraft nosed over before coming to a complete rest. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the airplane.
The investigation
Investigators examined the fuel state of the aircraft prior to the accident. The aircraft had been most recently fueled with 100 gallons and had an estimated fuel consumption rate of approximately 35 gallons per hour. Based on the pilot's estimate, the total flight time since the last refueling was between 2.5 and 3 hours, accumulated over two or three separate flights.
Upon inspection after the accident, a total of 4 gallons of fuel were recovered from the aircraft. According to the Federal Aviation Administration Type Certificate Data Sheet, the unusable fuel for this aircraft is listed at 6 gallons. The investigation found no evidence of fuel contamination. Furthermore, a post-accident examination of both the aircraft and the engine revealed no anomalies present prior to the impact.