What happened
The aircraft landed short of the runway following a sudden loss of engine power that occurred while the pilot was conducting the second approach attempt to the airport. Upon detecting the failure, the pilot initiated emergency procedures in an effort to restore engine function. An engine restart was attempted; however, when this effort proved unsuccessful, the pilot made the decision to divert from the airport and land in a nearby cornfield located approximately 1 1/2 miles short of the runway threshold.
The investigation
Following the incident, investigators examined the aircraft's fuel systems to determine the root cause of the power loss. The inspection revealed critically low fuel levels across the various tanks. Specifically, the left main fuel tank contained less than one pint of fuel. The right main fuel tank held approximately two gallons, while the auxiliary fuel tank was found to be approximately half full.
Findings
The examination of the fuel quantities indicates that the engine failure was likely due to fuel starvation or exhaustion during the approach phase. The minimal amount of fuel remaining in the left and right main tanks suggests that the aircraft had consumed nearly all available usable fuel prior to the loss of power, despite the auxiliary tank retaining some volume.