Incident Summary
A student pilot was flying the return leg of a solo cross-country flight. He was unable to center the course deviation indicator and resorted to pilotage. He could not identify landmarks and entered a canyon that was not on his intended route. Spotting what he believed to be Interstate Highway 15, he assumed he was south of Provo, Utah. In reality, the highway was Interstate 80, and his position was in northern Utah. He followed the highway for some time before realizing his error and turning around. Shortly after, the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot performed a forced landing in an open field. During the landing roll, the nosewheel folded backward, causing the airplane to nose over.
Instrument Panel Note
A placard on the instrument panel read: "TO/FROM FLAG REVERSED TEMPORARILY." This suggests a possible instrument anomaly, though no further explanation is provided.
Result
The aircraft sustained damage from the nose-over. No information is available regarding the pilot's condition or the specific aircraft model.