In a written statement, the pilot reported that he took off with 14 gallons of fuel on board. The flight south from Bull Frog Basin Airport, Utah, to Winslow, Arizona, should have taken 1 hour 40 minutes, with a fuel consumption of 5.3 gallons per hour. The pilot noticed that fuel was disappearing quickly and assumed there was a headwind. After 1 hour 40 minutes (1.7 hours), the airplane ran out of fuel 57 statute miles north of Winslow, and landed in the desert. The straight line distance between Bull Frog Basin Airport and Winslow is 170 statute miles.

At 1700, winds aloft at Flagstaff were reported from 225 degrees at 21 knots, at 8,000 feet mean sea level (msl). At 10,000 feet msl, winds were reported from 230 degrees at 29 knots.

Using a fuel consumption rate of 5.3 gallons per hour, a 1.7-hour flight would consume 9 gallons of fuel.