Forced Landing in Residential Area After Fuel Exhaustion (N5218A)

Incident Overview and Pilot Report During the final approach to the destination airport, the pilot reported that the right fuel tank became empty, prompting a switch to the left tank. At that time, the left fuel quantity gauge indicated approximately one-quarter of a tank remained. When the aircraft was about 2.5 miles from the destination airport, the engine sputtered and lost power. The pilot's attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful, leading to a forced landing in a residential area approximately 0.5 miles from the approach end of the runway. The pilot stated that traffic and the length of the streets prevented him from maintaining normal glide speed until touchdown. The aircraft subsequently impacted a roadway and skidded into a tree. The pilot attributed the accident to fuel exhaustion.