Incident Summary
An aircraft was parked on a slope with the left wing low and had been exposed to rain prior to the flight. The pilot sumped all four fuel tanks and visually determined that there was sufficient fuel for the intended one-hour flight to the destination.
Flight Details
After departing, the aircraft operated on the right main tank and briefly used both auxiliary tanks. Approximately 30 minutes into the flight, the pilot switched to the left main tank, at which point the engine began missing. Believing that the left tank was empty, the pilot switched to the left auxiliary tank, which was then exhausted. The pilot subsequently switched back to the right main tank, which was also exhausted.
Forced Landing
After a total of 55 minutes of flight, while approaching the destination, the pilot was unable to maintain power on the right auxiliary tank and executed a forced landing. During the approach, the pilot determined that power lines interfered with the intended landing site and maneuvered to an alternate landing site. This maneuver resulted in the pilot's inability to safely flare due to sink rate and low airspeed, and a hard landing followed.
Post-Accident Findings
A total of 5 gallons of fuel was drained from the left main tank subsequent to the forced landing.