Earlier in the day the pilot had flown the aircraft from his farm to Muresk. Because no fuel was available at Muresk, he decided to fly the aircraft to Northam, 13 kilometres to the north. Just after the aircraft became airborne, the engine lost power. The pilot was committed to landing in a paddock. During the landing sequence the aircraft struck a fence and ran over a depressed roadway, tearing off the nosegear. The loss of engine power was due to fuel exhaustion. Prior to commencing the take off, the pilot did not check the quantity in the fuel tanks, nor did he calculate the remaining fuel endurance.