Accident Overview
A private pilot with 563 hours of flight time completed 11 glider tows prior to the accident flight. Before departing on his twelfth flight, he assessed the fuel quantity by observing the fluctuating fuel gauge needle in the cockpit and determined that enough fuel remained for one or two additional flights.
Accident Sequence
The pilot departed on his twelfth flight, towing a glider to an altitude of 3,000 feet mean sea level (msl) approximately three miles west of the glider port. After releasing the glider, he turned east toward the glider port. When the airplane was about two miles from the glider port, the engine stopped producing power. The pilot entered a left downwind pattern. Upon reaching the north end of the glider port, he perceived that he was too high and initiated a right 360-degree turn to lose altitude. He reported that his airspeed and altitude deteriorated quickly and that he either "stalled the plane or entered an incipient spin." He recovered near ground level, but the left wing struck a tree, causing the airplane to spin around before coming to rest.
Post-Accident Examination
Examination of the fuel system revealed that no fuel remained onboard the airplane.