What happened
Shortly after lift-off, the pilot-in-command, seated in the right seat, observed that the currently selected fuel tank had a low level of fuel. He instructed his son, who was acting as a student pilot in the left seat, to move the fuel selector to the other tank. The selector was positioned to an empty tank and the engine lost power. Subsequently, the aircraft was damaged during a forced landing in a corn field.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the loss of engine power. It was determined that the fuel selector was moved to a tank that contained no fuel, resulting in fuel exhaustion. This mechanical failure led directly to the forced landing.
Findings
The primary finding was that the pilot-in-command failed to ensure adequate fuel supply during the transition between tanks. The student pilot's action of selecting an empty tank contributed to the incident. The aircraft sustained significant damage upon impact with the ground.