Approximately 3 hours into the cross-country flight, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine; however, the attempts were unsuccessful. Due to the night conditions, the pilot executed a forced landing to "the lightest colored area of vegatation." During the forced landing, the airplane impacted trees and the terrain, and came to rest upright. An FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, reported that "there was no fuel in the fuel tanks," and no evidence of fuel was found at the accident site.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's inadequate inflight planning/decision resulting in fuel exhaustion and the loss of engine power. A contributing factor was the night light conditions.