What happened
The aircraft had been in operation for 1.8 hours since its last fueling. The flight was operated by a student pilot and a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI). Prior to departure, the student pilot performed a preflight inspection but had not yet received formal systems ground instruction. During the preflight, fuel was noted in the right main tank; however, while the student intended to verify the exact quantity with the CFI, this inquiry was not made.
The flight departed with the fuel selector positioned to the right main fuel tank. This setting remained unchanged until the engine experienced a loss of power. Following the power loss, the CFI took control of the aircraft. The CFI stated that she moved the fuel selector during the flight, though the student pilot could not recall if the selector was moved after the power loss occurred, noting only that he did not touch the selector himself.
The aircraft impacted the ground at approximately 100 knots, according to the CFI, while the student pilot described the final moments of the descent as the airplane coming straight down for the last few feet. There were no fatalities reported.
The investigation
A post-accident examination of the aircraft revealed that the fuel selector was positioned to the right main fuel tank. Upon inspection, investigators found that there was no fuel remaining in that specific tank. In contrast, the other fuel tanks on the aircraft were nearly full.
Further mechanical analysis showed that no fuel was present in the fuel line at the inlet of the engine-driven fuel pump. The investigation confirmed that both the fuel selector and the auxiliary fuel pump were in satisfactory working condition.