Accident Summary
A pilot conducted a preflight inspection and noted the fuel tanks were half empty. After an uneventful local flight, the pilot departed for another flight. During the initial climb after takeoff, at approximately 75 feet, the engine lost power. The pilot executed a forced landing, and the airplane came to rest in a left-wing-low attitude.
Examination Findings
Post-accident examination of the wreckage revealed 7 gallons of uncontaminated automotive gasoline in the left fuel tank and no fuel in the right tank. The fuel selector valve was found in the 'both' position, and the left fuel cap was found open. The pilot could not recall if he had secured the fuel cap properly during the preflight inspection. Additionally, the engine was test run satisfactorily using fuel drained from the airplane.
Fuel Information
The airplane's total fuel capacity was 39 gallons, with 36 gallons usable. The airplane was last refueled 8 months prior to the accident with 28.2 gallons of automotive gasoline. It had been flown for 0.3 hours on a ferry flight for an annual inspection 4 days before the accident and had accumulated 1.38 hours since the annual inspection. According to the owner's manual, fuel consumption in cruise flight at 75% power at 2,500 feet was 8.5 gallons per hour.