Incident Overview
During a descent through 3,000 feet, the airplane's engine ceased producing power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and executed a forced landing. Post-accident examination revealed no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane or engine.
Fuel System Examination
Inspection of the fuel system showed that the right wing fuel tanks were intact and empty of fuel. Two of the three left wing fuel tanks were found separated from the left wing and ruptured; however, approximately half a gallon of fuel was present in one of those tanks. The fuel was absent of debris and water. There was no evidence of fuel spillage at the accident site. The fuel selector was set to the right wing tanks.
A 15-gallon auxiliary fuel tank was located in the rear seat area and was found full of fuel. Examination of the fuel selector placard indicated there was no marking for an 'aux' position. However, the selector could be moved beyond the 'left' tank position and aligned with a white spot worn on the trim cover.
Conclusions
No mechanical deficiencies were found with the airplane or engine. The available evidence suggests fuel starvation as the likely reason for the power loss, given the empty right wing tanks and the inability to select the auxiliary fuel tank.