What happened
The purpose of the flight was to travel to a nearby airport to perform several touch-and-go landings before returning to the departure point. The pilot anticipated the total duration of the local flight would be approximately one hour.
During the preflight inspection, the pilot noted varying fuel levels in the tanks: the left main tank was significantly low, the left auxiliary tank was somewhat low, the right main tank was slightly low, and the right auxiliary tank was full. The pilot recalled that during a flight the previous week, he had switched from the left main tank to the right main tank and flew for approximately 30 minutes. Because there was no access to fuel at the field, the tanks were not topped off prior to departure.
After departing, the pilot arrived at the nearby airport and completed three or four landings, eventually coming to a full stop. During the return leg of the flight, the engine lost power, necessitating an emergency landing in heavily wooded terrain. The pilot was not injured.
The investigation
An FAA inspector examined the wreckage at the accident site. The inspection of the fuel system revealed that both the left and right main fuel tanks were empty. The left auxiliary tank contained between one-half and three-quarters of its capacity, while the right auxiliary tank remained full. Additionally, investigators found the fuel selector handle in the 'fuel off' position.