What happened
The pilot was conducting a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country trip when she encountered thunderstorms along her route. To avoid the weather, she deviated from her planned course. During this deviation, the engine failed. The pilot attempted an emergency landing without flaps in a farm field, which resulted in the aircraft nosing over.
The investigation
A post-accident examination of the aircraft revealed that the fuel tanks were empty of usable fuel. This finding confirmed that the engine failure was caused by fuel exhaustion.
Findings
The primary factor leading to the accident was the depletion of fuel reserves. The pilot's decision to deviate from the planned route likely contributed to the increased fuel consumption or miscalculation, though the exact cause of the deviation is not detailed beyond avoiding thunderstorms. The emergency landing resulted in significant damage to the aircraft due to the nose-over impact.