Incident Summary
During an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach to land, the pilot reported that the engine lost power when the aircraft was approximately one-quarter mile from the runway threshold. The pilot stated that he confirmed the mixture was set to rich, carburetor heat was on, the fuel pump was on, and the fuel was selected to the fullest tank. Despite these actions, the pilot was unable to restart the engine. During the subsequent emergency landing, the aircraft traveled through a fence, crossed a suburban street, and came to rest in a ditch.
Findings
A post-crash examination of the aircraft revealed that the right fuel tank was empty, while the left tank contained approximately two inches of fuel. The fuel selector was found to be in the off position. The pilot initially expressed a suspicion of carburetor icing during a preliminary phone conversation, but this suspicion was not verified by subsequent investigation.
Conditions
At the time of the incident, the temperature was 72 degrees Fahrenheit and the dew point was 62 degrees Fahrenheit. According to icing probability charts, serious carburetor icing conditions would have been present at glide power if carburetor heat had not been used.