Accident Overview
The aircraft crashed during a forced landing that followed an engine failure. The engine ceased operation while the aircraft was on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern. After the power loss, the pilot initiated a forced landing, but the aircraft was not able to complete it safely and impacted the ground.
Pre-Accident Flight Details
The flight had taken off shortly before the incident. At the time of departure, the fuel tanks were in an unbalanced state: one tank was almost full, while the other was almost empty.
Post-Accident Examination
Following the accident, the fuel selector valve was found in the 'OFF' position. However, it was determined that rescue personnel had moved the selector to that position after the crash. When the selector was later turned to the tank that had been nearly full, the engine started successfully, indicating that the fuel system was functioning when supplied with fuel from that tank.
Pilot Statement
The certified flight instructor (CFI) reported that he was not certain about the position of the fuel selector at the time of the engine failure.