Accident Overview
The pilot reported that after approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes of cross-country flight, the left engine lost power and began to surge. The pilot contacted Air Traffic Control, declared an emergency, and requested vectors to the nearest airport. During the descent toward an abandoned airport, the left engine continued to surge, prompting the pilot to take corrective actions: advancing both engines to full rich, turning on the fuel boost pumps, checking the magnetos, and verifying the fuel valves.
Loss of Right Engine
As the airplane descended through 3,000 feet, the right engine surged and lost power. The pilot assessed that he could not reach the intended airport and selected a farm road as a landing site. While turning from base leg to final approach for the road, the pilot lowered the landing gear and determined that he would not be able to make the road.
Collision and Damage
The airplane subsequently struck the tops of trees approximately 50 feet from the road and descended to the ground. The main landing gear touched down first. As the nose landing gear contacted the ground, the airplane flipped over inverted, resulting in substantial damage to the forward fuselage and the rudder.
Post-Accident Findings
Emergency responders at the accident scene reported that they did not see or smell fuel around the wreckage. An FAA inspector who responded to the accident site did not find evidence of fuel in the wreckage or the surrounding area. After the accident, the pilot initially told an FAA inspector that he had run out of fuel and was not certain of the amount of fuel on board at departure. In a written statement, the pilot reported that he estimated he had about 136 gallons of fuel onboard prior to the flight, based on a visual inspection during preflight. The source does not provide any official probable cause determination.