First flight after overhauled engine installed goes badly

The sports pilot/mechanic reported that the accident happened on the first flight in the experimental, amateur-built Ginny B after he installed an overhauled engine. About 30 minutes after takeoff, the engine experienced a sudden and total loss of power and would not restart. The pilot conducted a forced landing to a grass field near South Harrison Township, N.J., and the airplane nosed over. The pilot and another mechanic subsequently performed a condition inspection of the airplane and found that fuel had leaked from the gascolator between the glass cup and metal frame. They also found that the gascolator bale clamp was not safety-wired, which allowed the clamp to loosen and subsequently relax the seal between the glass cup and the metal frame and the fuel to leak. Probable cause: The pilot/mechanic’s failure to safety-wire the gascolator bale clamp, which resulted in a fuel leak and subsequent total loss of engine power.