What happened
The flight departed at 20:27 with an estimated en route time of 3 hours and 4 hours of fuel on board. Prior to departure, the private-rated student pilot received a weather briefing that indicated fog was forecast at the destination for the estimated time of arrival.
During the flight, the crew attempted an ILS approach. The certified flight instructor (CFI) allowed the student to fly part of the approach but took control to perform a missed approach at minimums. A second ILS approach was cleared but also resulted in a missed approach. The crew then requested clearance to a nearby airport and were cleared for another ILS approach.
While inbound on final approach, the tower controller was notified that the engine had quit and the crew was "outta fuel." The aircraft was ditched near a bridge. All occupants were not injured and exited the aircraft before it sank. The accident occurred at 00:12, approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes after takeoff.
The investigation
The aircraft was recovered five days after the accident. Upon draining the fuel tanks, investigators found that the left tank contained no fuel, while the right tank contained approximately 8 ounces of fuel.