What happened
The engine stopped abruptly while the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 3,500 feet. The pilot initiated a forced landing in darkness, resulting in the aircraft colliding with standing corn. Following the accident, inspection of the fuel system showed that the fuel selector switch was positioned over the left tank. The left tank was completely empty, whereas the right tank contained a full supply of fuel.
The investigation
The pilot reported that both fuel tanks were filled prior to takeoff and that the mixture control remained set to full rich throughout the entire 1 hour and 50 minute flight. Despite these claims, the physical evidence indicated that the engine had run dry from the left tank while fuel remained available in the right tank.
Findings
The primary factor was fuel exhaustion caused by improper fuel management. The pilot failed to switch the fuel selector to the right tank, leading to an engine failure due to lack of fuel. This resulted in a forced landing with substantial damage to the airframe upon impact with terrain.