Flight Planning and Fuel
The pilot planned a flight of 3.2 hours with four legs, departing with 32 gallons of fuel aboard. He believed this amount was sufficient for the flight plus 30 minutes of reserve. His flight planning assumed a cruise speed of 105 knots (120 mph), but during the flight he used a higher power setting, resulting in a cruise speed of 120 knots (138 mph).
Forced Landing
On the final leg, as the pilot neared the destination airport, the engine lost power. He performed an off-airport forced landing. While clearing a line of trees, the pilot lost airspeed. He lowered the nose, but when he attempted to flare, the nose would not rise. The airplane struck the ground in a nose-low attitude, and the nosewheel "drove" into the soft terrain.
Post-Accident Observations
The pilot reported that the power loss was due to fuel exhaustion. He also stated that he did not verify the fuel quantity aboard the airplane before departing on the last leg. A check of the pilot's route revealed that he flew near two airports where he could have landed and refueled before experiencing fuel exhaustion.