What happened
Prior to the flight, the aircraft had been parked on a slope with the left wing low and had been exposed to rain. Before departure, the pilot performed a sump of all four fuel tanks and visually confirmed there was enough fuel for the planned one-hour flight to the destination.
The flight began using the right main tank, briefly utilizing both auxiliary tanks. Approximately 30 minutes into the flight, the pilot switched to the left main tank, at which point the engine began missing. Under the impression that the left main tank was empty, the pilot switched to the left auxiliary tank until it was exhausted, then returned to the right main tank, which also subsequently ran out of fuel.
After a total flight time of 55 minutes, while approaching the destination, the pilot was unable to maintain power on the right auxiliary tank and initiated a forced landing. During the approach, the pilot identified that power lines would interfere with the intended landing site and maneuvered toward an alternate location. This maneuver led to an inability to safely flare due to low airspeed and a high sink rate, resulting in a hard landing. Following the event, 5 gallons of fuel were drained from the left main tank.
The pilot was not injured.