What happened
On January 17, 1998, a Jodel D 113 amateur-built aircraft, registered F-PRLU, was conducting a local flight near La Roche-Blanche. The aircraft departed with 40 liters of fuel in the forward tank and 25 liters in the rear tank. After approximately 55 minutes of flight, the engine stopped while the aircraft was at an altitude of 3,000 feet, heading back toward the departure airfield.
While approaching the airfield circuit, the pilot attempted to restart the engine and was briefly successful; however, the engine failed a second time just seconds later. Following several unsuccessful restart attempts, the pilot performed a forced landing in a cleared, sown field. There were no injuries and no damage to the aircraft. Following the landing, the pilot used a nearby aircraft in the circuit to notify air traffic control that the landing had been completed safely.
The investigation
Investigators examined the fuel system and the pilot's actions following the initial engine failure. Upon inspection on the ground, it was discovered that the fuel selector valve was set to the rear tank, which was empty. The pilot stated he believed the selector had been set to the forward tank since departure. The investigation also noted that the pilot frequently operated three different Jodel aircraft at the club, each featuring a different fuel selector configuration.