The pilot was carrying out an inspection of water points on his property. The inspection was flown at an altitude of about 500 feet agl and involved sustained turns at an angle of bank of about 40 degrees over the water points. Just after the recovery from one of these turns, the engine began to lose power. After unsuccessfully attempting to rectify the problem, the pilot decided to land on a cleared area. The aircraft landed heavily short of the area and collided with trees. At the moment of engine failure, the engine was drawing fuel from the right hand tank and the corresponding fuel gauge indicated less than a quarter full. An inspection of the aircraft did not reveal any mechanical reason for the loss of power. However, it is probable that the turns were uncoordinated and the fuel tank outlet became uncovered because of the low fuel quantity, in the right tank, resulting in a loss of power from fuel starvation.
