The pilot was undertaking his third flight for the day, during which he completed a number of circuits and landings. Following a touch and go landing, the aircraft had reached a height of about 300 feet when it was seen to commence a turn back towards the strip. During the turn the nose dropped and the aircraft subsequently struck the ground in a steep nose-down attitude. Investigation revealed that there was virtually no fuel remaining in the tanks, and the that engine was not under power at the time of the accident. The pilot had refuelled the aircraft the day before the accident and he made a note of the fact that the main fuel tank was full and that the auxiliary tank was empty. He then flew the aircraft for 30 minutes. On the day of the accident the pilot flew a further three separate trips, including the accident flight, without refuelling. The total flight time for the four trips was estimated as 137 minutes and the calculated endurance, with the main tank full and the auxiliary empty, was 138 minutes. The pilot had constructed a number of emergency landing areas on his property for use in the event of an engine failure. One of these areas lay directly ahead of the aircraft on the centreline of the airstrip, however, the pilot did not attempt to use it.
