Narrative
The pilot of a Cessna 172N reported that the airplane was in cruise flight when the engine began to sputter and subsequently lost all power. He executed a forced landing into trees, which resulted in substantial damage to the aircraft. Neither the pilot nor the two passengers sustained any injuries.
After exiting the aircraft, the pilot examined both fuel tanks and found them empty. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector later verified that the tanks were intact and that there was no evidence of fuel, fuel spillage, or fuel odor present at the accident site.
Pilot Statement
The pilot stated that he had departed his home airport earlier in the day with full fuel tanks. By the time of the accident, the hobbs meter recorded 3.2 hours of operation. During the flight, the pilot made several stops, performing a total of six takeoffs and climbs to altitude.
In a written statement, the pilot noted that physically verifying the fuel quantity in the tanks, rather than relying solely on the hobbs meter and an assumed gallons-per-hour fuel consumption rate, could have prevented the accident.
Examination
Post-accident inspection of the fuel system revealed no leaks or damage to the fuel tanks. The absence of fuel, fuel stains, or odor at the scene corroborated the pilot's observation that both tanks were empty at the time of the forced landing.