Incident Details
A student pilot was returning to her home airport after completing a flight lesson with a certified flight instructor (CFI). Prior to letting the CFI exit the aircraft, she verified that the right main fuel tank was active and full. At about 700 feet above ground level, the engine began to sputter. The student pilot checked the ignition switch and turned on the boost pump. She elected to land straight ahead into an empty field rather than attempt to turn back to the runway, executing a soft field power-off landing.
Landing and Damage
During the landing roll, the right main landing gear sank into a furrow in the field, twisting the aircraft. The nose gear collapsed, and the right main landing gear was bent. The student pilot was not injured.
Pilot Statement
The student pilot reported that the fuel selector valve had been problematic due to its position and the lightness of the stop between the right main and right wing tip positions. On previous occasions, she had noticed that the selector could be inadvertently moved from right main to right tip, and she had developed a method of planting her hand before selecting the right main to prevent the selector from moving through the stop to the right tip. After the accident, she verified that the fuel selector was in the right tip tank position, and that tank was empty.