On April 4, 1996, at about 1109 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172E, N5703T, operated as a pleasure flight, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over during a forced landing in the vicinity of Roanoke, Virginia. The private pilot and the two passengers reported minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, no flight plan was filed. The flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91, and originated from the Flying W Airport, in Lumberton, New Jersey, at approximately 0726. The intended destination was Blacksburg, Virginia. The pilot stated that the night before the accident, he had contacted the fixed base operator (FBO) at the Flying W Airport, and requested that they "...completely top off the fuel tanks in preparation for the next morning's flight." He reported that when he arrived at the airport the next day, he performed a preflight inspection of the airplane, during which he visually inspected the full tanks. He indicated that the fuel tanks appeared to be full. The pilot stated that by his calculations he "...had at least 5 hours of fuel on-board when the flight was initiated...[when I saw the fuel gauges indicating 1/4 of a tank of fuel] I had been airborne for just over 3 hours. I felt that the fuel gauge was not registering properly and that I would land at ROA [Roanoke Airport] to refill." The pilot contacted Roanoke air traffic control (ATC) and informed them that the airplane was low on fuel and inbound for a landing. He indicated that when the airplane was about 10 to 15 minutes from the airport, the engine began to sputter, and then completely stopped. The pilot performed the items on the emergency checklist while searching for a place to land the airplane. The pilot reported that he found a small field to land in, but that it had a small incline. He stated that after "...the main wheels hit the soft turf, the nose wheel dug into the ground and we flipped over." The pilot reported that upon his return to New Jersey, he discovered that the airplane had been flown for 1.6 hours since it's most recent refueling, before the accident flight. The pilot also stated that "as pilot in command of the craft, I take full responsibility for the fuel situation." He reported that the accident could have been avoided if he had used a more precise method to measure fuel in the tanks. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Investigator stated that "...there was no fuel in the aircraft's fuel tanks at the scene and there was no indication of fuel being spilt on the ground." The FAA Investigator also stated that the pilot said that he had run out of fuel. The FAA Airworthiness Investigator stated that he "...personally removed both wing fuel tank caps, and noticed that absolutely no fuel drained out of the tanks... ." This information was also confirmed by the Commonwealth of Virginia State Police.