Incident Sequence
The student pilot occupied the left seat, and the flight instructor occupied the right seat. While the airplane was about 1 mile from the runway in a glide, the flight instructor asked the student pilot to turn on the landing lights and navigation beacon. A few seconds later, the flight instructor asked the student pilot to add power. The student pilot replied that he was adding power, but the engine was not responding. The flight instructor then took control of the airplane and switched fuel tanks, but the engine still did not respond. The flight instructor subsequently performed a forced landing to a field off to his right. The field was part of a tree farm, and the airplane struck 35–40 saplings before coming to a stop.
Shutdown and Discovery
After the airplane came to a stop, the flight instructor performed the shutdown procedures. When he attempted to turn off the magneto switch, he found it was already in the "OFF" position.
Post-Accident Examination
Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed aviation fuel in both tanks. The engine was subsequently operated through all ignition switch positions without any anomalies noted.