Sequence of Events
After a two-hour flight, the airplane arrived at the destination airport. The left-seated pilot, who held commercial and certified flight instructor certificates with approximately 612 total flight hours (32 in Comanches), performed a prelanding check upon entering the traffic pattern. However, he did not reposition the fuel tank selector from the nearly empty right auxiliary fuel tank to a main tank. Seconds after turning onto the final approach leg, the pilot performed another prelanding check but again failed to move the selector away from the right auxiliary tank. Shortly thereafter, the engine sputtered and lost all power. The pilot then attempted to reposition the fuel tank selector, but the right-seated pilot-rated passenger, who also held commercial and certified flight instructor certificates with about 1,740 total flight hours (40 in Comanches), had already accomplished that task. Engine power was restored just prior to the airplane impacting a berm, approximately 500 feet short of the runway.
Post-Accident Examination
A subsequent examination of the airplane revealed that the left auxiliary fuel tank and the two main tanks jointly contained a total of 50 gallons of fuel. The right auxiliary fuel tank was found to be dry.
Probable Cause
The pilot's failure to reposition the fuel tank selector from the nearly empty right auxiliary fuel tank to a main tank during the prelanding checks, resulting in fuel starvation and loss of engine power.