Piper PA 12 N2370M accident near Palmer, Alaska

Probable cause

The student pilot’s improper fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadvertent switching of the fuel selector to the “off” position during the attempted engine restart.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot reported that he was practicing night, solo takeoffs and landings when the engine lost power. He attempted to restart the engine by applying carburetor heat and switching the fuel selector from the left tank to the right tank, but the engine did not regain power. He did not think that the airplane could reach the runway, so he chose to conduct a forced landing in a golf course adjacent to the airport. During the final approach, the landing gear contacted a power line, and the airplane subsequently impacted terrain. The student pilot further reported that he believed that he inadvertently switched the fuel selector to the "off" position instead of the "right tank" position after the power loss. Examination of the airplane's fuel tanks after the accident revealed that the left wing fuel tank was empty.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ANC15LA010 for the full record.