Incident Details
A student pilot flying a solo cross-country flight encountered engine trouble while navigating in reported haze. To remain clear of clouds, the pilot descended to 2,000 feet mean sea level (MSL). Shortly thereafter, the engine began running rough and the airplane was unable to maintain altitude. The pilot executed a forced landing into a field. During the landing roll, the airplane struck a fence and a fence post, then came to rest in a nose-down attitude.
Examination Findings
Post-accident examination of the engine and its accessories revealed that the left magneto was not firing at times and, at other times, would fire in a random sequence. An internal inspection of the left magneto found that the coils were loose.