Incident Overview
During cruise flight, approximately two hours after departure, the airplane's engine lost total power. The pilot executed an off-airport landing. No injuries were reported, and the aircraft sustained damage during the landing.
Postaccident Examination
A postaccident examination of the fuel system revealed that the left fuel tank contained usable fuel, while the right fuel tank was empty. No fuel leaks were noted. The pilot reported that the fuel selector had been positioned on the left tank for the entire flight.
Examination of the fuel selector assembly disclosed that the pin used to align the fuel selector handle with the fuel selector valve was missing. As a result, the fuel selector handle was offset approximately 90 degrees from the valve's actual position. When the handle was set to the left tank position, the valve was positioned to draw fuel from the right tank, which was empty.
Maintenance History
The airplane had received an annual inspection three days prior to the incident. The mechanic who performed the inspection stated that he had aligned the valve and handle with the pin in place during the inspection.
Conclusion
The investigation determined that the loss of engine power resulted from fuel starvation due to the misalignment of the fuel selector valve, preventing fuel from being drawn from the left tank as intended by the pilot's selector position.