THE HOME BUILT PLANE WAS ONE OF A FLT OF FOUR ACFT THAT WERE BEING FLOWN ON A CROSS-COUNTRY FLT. WHILE EN ROUTE FROM HILLSBORO, OR TO TWIN FALLS, ID, THE PILOTS HAD TO DIVERT AROUND WEATHER. AS THEY WERE APPROACHING TWIN FALLS, N17RV LOST POWER FROM FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO REACH THE ARPT, SO HE LANDED IN A WHEAT FIELD WHERE THE ACFT NOSED OVER. REPORTEDLY, A STRIP OF WHEAT, 20 FT WIDE BY 150 FT LONG, WAS DAMAGED. THE PLT REPORTED THAT HE HAD NEVER KNOWN THE ACFT TO USE MORE THAN 7.5 GAL/HR, BUT ON THIS FLT IT HAD BURNED 8.2 GAL/HR. HE NOTED THAT AFTER A RECENT TOP OVERHAUL, THE ACFT HAD ADDITIONAL POWER & AIRSPEED. THE ACFT HAD ACCUMULATED 9 HRS SINCE THE OVERHAUL.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

Contributing Factors

WEATHER CONDITION..CLOUDS
TERRAIN CONDITION..HIGH VEGETATION
FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER..NOT PERFORMED..PILOT IN COMMAND
NOT PERFORMED..PILOT IN COMMAND