Flight Details
The pilot was conducting her first solo cross-country VFR flight, routing from Lantana, Florida, to Immokalee, Florida, to Air Glades, and back to Lantana. She departed Lantana at 0930 eastern daylight time. During the flight, she deviated from her planned course and attempted to locate airports but could not find them. Aware that her aircraft had an endurance of 3 hours 30 minutes, and recognizing that she was running low on both time and fuel, she decided to return to Lantana.
Emergency Landing
On the return leg, the pilot tried to track the Labelle and Pahokee VORs but was unable to do so. By 1310, she could not locate any airport in the vicinity and elected to perform an emergency landing in a field. The grass in the field was tall, and the pilot reported that she could not land the aircraft properly. The airplane incurred damage during the landing.
Post-Accident Examination
An FAA inspector responded to the accident scene. The airplane was found sitting in a field, left wing down, at approximately a 45-degree angle. The right side fuel tank was empty. Upon dipping the left fuel tank, the inspector found it contained about two inches of fuel. No evidence of fuel spillage was observed at the scene. The inspector's examination revealed no preaccident anomalies with the airplane or its systems.