Incident Overview
A 248-hour private pilot was conducting a 861-nautical mile cross-country flight in a single-engine airplane. While cruising at 8,500 feet mean sea level, the engine lost power.
Attempted Diversion
Low cloud cover prevented the pilot from visually locating the nearest airport. He identified a nearby road and turned toward it for a potential forced landing. While heading toward the road, the pilot noticed an airport off to his left and slightly behind his position. He elected to turn the airplane toward that airport. However, a strong headwind made the airport unreachable. The pilot then executed a right-hand turn and chose to land in a field.
Collision During Landing
During the landing approach, the airplane's left wing collided with a tree, and the landing gear struck a fence before the aircraft came to a complete stop.
Pilot's Account
The pilot stated that he did not switch the fuel tanks during the flight, which he identified as the cause of the engine failure. He noted that the fuel gauges were inaccurate, so fuel consumption was managed using a timer. Approximately 5 to 10 minutes before the power loss, the pilot recalled telling himself that he needed to switch tanks "soon." In troubleshooting the power loss, the pilot went through all emergency procedures except switching the fuel tanks.