On May 21, 1988, a Beech 23 (registration N2378L) operated by Charles Dickens was involved in an aviation accident near Independence, MO. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot practicing touch and go landings made a forced landing into trees after the engine failed due to selecting a fuel tank with little or no fuel.
Flight Planning
The pilot-in-command (PIC) planned a local flight to practice touch and go landings. Prior to this flight, during an earlier flight, the PIC had switched the fuel selector to what he believed was the fullest tank.
Incident Sequence
As the subsequent flight progressed, the PIC again selected what he considered to be the fullest tank as part of the pre-landing checklist. When the aircraft began the powered climb portion of the touch and go landing, the engine faltered and then quit. The PIC determined that insufficient altitude was available to execute a return to the runway. He stated that he lowered the nose and made a forced landing into a grove of trees.
Aftermath
The PIC later realized that he had switched to the fuel tank which contained little or no fuel.