Accident Sequence
The pilot reported that, approximately 15 minutes into a cross-country flight, the airplane's engine lost rpm. After adding power, the engine regained rpm briefly before losing all power. The pilot selected a dirt road for an emergency landing. During the landing, the nose landing gear touched down on a soft surface, and the airplane nosed over.
Pilot Report
On the NTSB Form 6120.1, the pilot stated that the airplane had 4.5 gallons of fuel on board at the last takeoff.
Postaccident Examination
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left and right wings and the front windshield. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that during the postaccident examination, the fuel tanks were found empty. The gascolator had residual fuel, and approximately 1 gallon of fuel was removed from the fuselage fuel drain. According to the manufacturer's specifications, the accident airplane should have 1.5 gallons of unusable fuel. The inspector turned on the airplane's master power switch to view the fuel quantity gauge indications. The left-wing tank gauge indicated between empty and a quarter full with no fuel in the tank, and the right-wing fuel tank gauge indicated empty.