Cessna 172

Full Narrative

The pilot was conducting the return leg of a cross country flight when the engine lost power and the pilot subsequently performed an emergency landing in a field. The airplane elevator was substantially damaged during the landing. The pilot reported the airplane was full of fuel prior to departing on the first leg of the trip, the duration of which was not provided by the pilot. The pilot also reported he was concerned with the weather at his destination and did not add fuel prior to departing on the accident flight to expedite his return. He had planned the flight at 7k ft mean sea level and felt he had enough fuel onboard at that altitude. After about 1 hr of flight, air traffic control (ATC) directed him to climb to 9k ft and rerouted the flight. The pilot stated he became concerned with his fuel at that time due to the climb and change in wind, but elected to continue to his destination. The engine quit due to fuel exhaustion about 30 minutes later and 20 miles short of the intended destination. At no time during the flight did the pilot express his concerns about the lack of fuel onboard to ATC, request a diversion to a closer airport, or declare an emergency.