Incident Overview
During a cruising flight, the pilot switched the fuel tank selector. Shortly thereafter, the engine stopped running. The pilot reported that he then primed the engine and attempted to restart it, but these efforts were unsuccessful. A forced landing was executed, during which the aircraft nosed over.
Post-Accident Actions
After the accident, the aircraft was righted. The fuel selector was then appropriately changed, and the engine was started and ran normally.
Investigation Findings
An investigation into the incident disclosed that the fuel selector was properly labeled and operated normally at the time of the accident. The selector itself was not implicated in the engine stoppage; instead, the engine failure was associated with the pilot's in-flight switching of the tank selector.