What happened
The flight was operating in the traffic pattern when the engine quit while the aircraft was on the downwind leg. The pilot attempted to continue the approach and land on the runway but was unable to maintain sufficient altitude or control, resulting in a crash off the airport grounds.
Prior to the accident, the pilot had completed one touch-and-go landing. According to the pilot and other operators of this specific aircraft type, local flights typically involve placing only about three gallons of fuel into the auxiliary tanks.
The investigation
Post-accident examination revealed that the fuel selector valve was positioned on an auxiliary tank. This finding suggests a potential discrepancy between the fuel quantity expected for local operations and the actual fuel available or accessible to the engine at the time of failure.
Findings
The sequence of events indicates that the aircraft ran out of usable fuel during the downwind portion of the traffic pattern. The placement of the fuel selector on an auxiliary tank, combined with the limited fuel volume typically used for local flights in that tank, contributed to the engine stoppage.