What happened
During an en route flight, the aircraft experienced a critical mechanical failure when the engine stopped functioning due to a complete lack of fuel. Recognizing that the situation was unrecoverable, the pilot made the decision to leave the cockpit and bail out of the aircraft. Following the crew's ejection, the airframe lost all control and entered an uncontrolled dive toward the terrain below. The machine ultimately impacted the ground in a crash site located approximately 45 miles south of Ruby, in the vicinity of Poorman.
Findings
The official investigation determined that the immediate cause of the accident was the cessation of engine power. This failure was directly attributed to fuel exhaustion, which rendered the aircraft unable to maintain flight and forced the pilot to abandon the craft.