Incident Details
During cruise flight, a student pilot observed a decrease in fuel pressure. He moved the fuel selector from the 'BOTH' position to 'RIGHT', which caused the fuel pressure to increase. Several minutes later, the fuel pressure decreased again. He then moved the fuel selector from 'RIGHT' to 'LEFT', resulting in a complete loss of engine power. The pilot performed a forced landing to a field.
The airplane had a usable fuel capacity of 52 gallons. The student pilot had calculated that he had flown approximately 4 hours based on the tachometer time, with the mixture leaned to achieve a fuel consumption rate of 10 gallons per hour. Based on these calculations, he believed that 90 minutes of fuel remained.
Fuel Calculation Errors
The student pilot later acknowledged that his calculations did not account for the discrepancy between tachometer time and Hobbs meter time. He also noted that he had not accounted for fuel consumption during the three takeoffs and climbs that occurred during the 4-hour period.
Flight Instructor Actions
The student pilot's certified flight instructor (CFI) stated that he was aware the student planned to conduct a solo cross-country flight on the day of the accident. However, the CFI did not review the student's preflight planning, nor did he endorse the student's logbook.