Accident Details
The pilot reported that the airplane departed with 70 gallons of fuel, providing an estimated endurance of 3.5 hours. The flight duration was approximately 3.0 hours. While performing the pre-landing checklist, the left fuel gauge indicated 10 to 11 gallons when the engine stopped running. The pilot then moved the fuel selector to the right tank, which showed 8 gallons, but subsequently returned the selector to the left tank because it displayed a higher fuel amount. An attempt to restart the engine was unsuccessful.
Landing and Aftermath
The pilot flared the airplane several feet above the runway, the stall warning horn sounded, and the aircraft touched down hard. Post-accident inspection revealed that the left fuel tank contained 0.75 gallons of fuel. The right fuel tank was damaged during the landing. When the fuel gauges were tested by adding 5 gallons to the left tank and 5 gallons to the repaired right tank, the right gauge read correctly, while the left gauge indicated 3 gallons. The pilot noted that the left fuel gauge had a history of intermittent inaccuracy since 1996. The airplane's unusable fuel quantity was listed as 5 gallons.