Accident Sequence
According to the pilot, after topping off the airplane with fuel, he departed to the west on a long cross-country flight. After several hours of flying, he observed the glow of city lights and believed it to be his destination. Attempting to contact the airport by radio, he received no response and was unable to pick up the VOR. At that point, he realized he had drifted north of his intended heading. He adjusted his heading to the southwest and climbed to a higher altitude.
Shortly thereafter, he located his destination and, after establishing radio contact, turned on the runway lights. As he flew over the airport, the airplane's engine began to lose power and then cut out. He circled the airport while descending to set up for a forced landing on runway 22. During the final approach, he realized he would not reach the runway. He increased the airplane's angle of attack, but the airplane fell short of the runway.
Aircraft Damage
The airplane's right wing struck a fence post, and the airplane impacted terrain approximately 50 yards short of the runway threshold. Examination revealed the right wing spar was bent outboard of the wing strut, and the nose landing gear was separated from the gear fork.
Fuel Examination
An on-site examination of the airplane showed that both wing fuel tanks were empty.