What happened
During the final approach, at an altitude of approximately 150 to 200 feet above ground level, the engine lost power and failed to restart. Because the pilot was unable to reach the runway, the aircraft landed approximately 50 feet short on soft terrain. Upon landing, the landing gear collapsed, resulting in aircraft damage.
The investigation
Post-accident inspections revealed a significant discrepancy in fuel levels between the tanks; only about 12 ounces of fuel remained in the left tank, while 13 gallons were found in the right tank. During post-accident checks, 3 gallons of fuel were added to the left tank, but the engine still failed to start regardless of the fuel selector position.
Investigators determined that when an independent fuel source was connected directly to the inlet fuel line, the engine started and operated normally. However, when reconnected to the aircraft's internal fuel system, the engine ran only briefly before failing to restart, despite the fuel levels in the tanks being above the unusable limit of 1.3 gallons per tank.
A test performed on the boost pump revealed that at 23 PSI, the pump's flow rate was only 9 GPH, which is significantly lower than the required specification of 35 GPH at 23 PSI.