Accident Overview
On August 6, 2018, at about 1251 central daylight time, a Cessna 120, registration N76524, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing near Pomona, Missouri. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time; the flight was not conducted under a flight plan.
Sequence of Events
The airplane departed at approximately 1145 from West Plains Regional Airport (UNO), West Plains, Missouri, for a local flight. According to the pilot, both wing fuel tanks were full at departure, and the fuel selector was positioned on the left tank. After flying for about one hour, the pilot landed back at UNO and then departed again. When the airplane reached about 500 feet above ground level, the pilot intended to switch the fuel selector to the right fuel tank. However, he inadvertently turned the selector to the OFF position, which caused the engine to lose power. The pilot immediately moved the selector back to the left tank and attempted to restart the engine, but his efforts were unsuccessful. He then performed a forced landing to a field.
Damage
During the landing rollout, the airplane collided with a fence and a hay bale. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the aircraft.