What happened
During flight at an altitude of 300 feet, the engine of the single-engine airplane ceased operation because of a lack of available fuel. In an attempt to restore power, the pilot switched the fuel selector to an alternative tank that was expected to hold 16 gallons. Despite this effort to restart the engine, the low altitude and limited time prevented the successful completion of the restart procedure.
As a result of the loss of power, the aircraft descended into a forested slope. The impact resulted in the total loss of the aircraft, though the pilot sustained slight injuries during the event.
Findings
Investigations revealed that the fuel gauge indicated approximately 8 gallons remained in the tank; however, this reading was inaccurate as the tank was nearly empty. The primary factor in the accident was the inaccurate fuel gauge reading which led to unexpected fuel exhaustion.