What happened
A flight departed Wichita, Kansas, destined for Sedona, Arizona, carrying the pilot and two passengers. The pilot, who had approximately 1,800 hours of experience in the aircraft, was familiar with the route. During the en route portion of the flight, all airplane systems operated normally and no adverse weather conditions were encountered.
Upon arriving over the destination airport at 8,500 feet MSL, the aircraft experienced fuel exhaustion. The pilot attempted to restore engine power by repositioning the fuel selector to the left fuel tank, but the engine failed to restart.
The pilot proceeded with a descent, following the downwind, base, and final approach legs for runway 21. At the time of the approach, a wind of 15 to 20 knots from 270 degrees was reported. Unable to reach the runway via glide, the pilot performed a hard touchdown in the dirt approximately 10 to 15 feet short of the runway while in a stalled attitude. During the landing, the left main wheel struck an 8- to 10-inch asphalt berm located at the approach end of the runway.
Following the impact, the pilot attempted to restart the engine. He noted that the left fuel tank contained several gallons of fuel, and the engine eventually started and operated normally after several seconds of cranking.