March 07, Dekalb, Ill. / Grumman American Lynx

At 13:15 central time, a Grumman American AA-1C lost engine power and crash-landed in a field near Dekalb. The pilot and passenger reported minor injuries. The pilot told investigators he was in cruise flight when the engine started running rough and then quit. The pilot said he immediately looked for a place to land. When asked by the inspector if the pilot switched the fuel selector to the other tank, the pilot said no. The fuel selector was positioned to the left fuel tank, which was empty. The right wing fuel tank contained fuel. At the time of the accident, a sheriff deputy tested the pilots blood alcohol content at 0.077. Later that afternoon, a second blood alcohol test was conducted on the pilot that showed 0.08.