Primary finding
Probable cause
Inadequate preflight planning in not refueling the aircraft and a poorly planned forced landing by the pilot.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The student pilot was on the return leg of a cross country flight when a loss of engine power occurred. He was eight miles west of an airport when the engine quit. The pilot attempted to make a forced landing on runway 09 which was 3801 feet long. The wind was 270 at 15 to 20 knots. The pilot was high and fast when trying to land at the airport. He aborted the attempt and tried to land in a field to the east of the airport, but was fast again. He pulled up a second time and made a turn to the right and made a hard landing in a field. Approximately one quart of fuel was in the left tank, and approximately one and one-half gallons of fuel was in the right wing. The pilot stated, '...i made the decision to not obtain fuel,' before he departed on his return leg of the flight.
Source record
Factual narrative
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