What happened
The pilot initiated contact with Coast TRACON (Terminal Radar Control) and requested VFR traffic advisories while en route to Torrence. At approximately 0747 PST, the pilot declared an emergency, stating that the engine had quit and requesting vectors to John Wayne/Orange County Airport. The air traffic controller provided a heading toward the airport along with current wind conditions and altimeter settings.
At 0748, the controller advised the pilot that the airport was located at his 11 o'clock position, seven miles away, and confirmed that either runway was available for landing. Approximately three minutes later, the pilot reported that he did not believe he would be able to reach the airport. Subsequently, the aircraft collided with trees, a house, and a fence in a residential area. The initial impact occurred with trees at approximately 35 feet above ground level while the aircraft was in a nose-high attitude.
The investigation
A post-accident examination revealed that the fuel selector was positioned to the right main tank, which contained less than one gallon of fuel remaining. Adequate fuel was still present in the left fuel tanks. No pre-impact part failure or mechanical malfunction was found. The engine operated satisfactorily during a post-accident check.
Findings
The primary factor contributing to this event was fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's failure to monitor fuel quantity and select the appropriate tank. Although adequate fuel remained in the left tanks, the selector was set to the right main tank which was nearly empty. This resulted in an in-flight engine failure that could not be recovered from before impact.