What happened
During the cruise phase of flight, the engine stopped running after approximately 1 hour and 5 minutes of flight time. Prior to this event, the pilot had stopped at an en route airport to refuel. At that location, a lineman added 7 gallons of fuel to each wing tank, totaling 14 gallons. After the fueling was completed, the pilot went inside the fixed base operator to pay the bill without checking the fuel tanks or the fuel caps.
Upon the loss of engine power, the pilot observed that the left fuel tank indicator showed empty, while the right tank indicated 1/2 or better. The fuel selector had been set to the BOTH position. The pilot attempted a forced landing into a soybean field; however, the field was too short for the maneuver, causing the Cessna (type not specified in source) to become airborne again before impacting the ground hard. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and the crew was not injured.
The investigation
An inspection of the aircraft revealed that the right fuel door was open. The fuel filler cap was found off, dangling by the chain attached to the filler neck. A fuel stain was observed extending from the filler neck to the trailing edge of the right flap. Both the left and right fuel tanks were found to be empty.