Incident Overview
A student pilot, on the return leg of her first solo cross-country trip, became lost while en route. After approximately 2.5 hours of flight, the airplane's fuel supply was exhausted, prompting the pilot to execute a forced landing in a field. The landing site was located about 155 miles northeast of her intended destination.
Sequence of Events
Following touchdown, the airplane rolled approximately 200 feet before the nose wheel struck a mound of dirt. The impact caused the airplane to nosed over. A post-accident inspection of the engine revealed no mechanical anomalies, indicating that the forced landing was necessitated by fuel exhaustion rather than a mechanical failure.
Investigation Findings
The investigation determined that the pilot became lost during the flight, leading to an extended duration aloft that depleted the fuel supply. No other contributing factors were identified. The airplane sustained damage from the nose-over, but the source does not specify the extent of damage or any injuries to the pilot.