What happened
After a two-hour flight, a Socata Comanche arrived at its destination airport. As the pilot entered the traffic pattern, he performed a prelanding check but failed to move the fuel tank selector from the nearly empty right auxiliary tank to a main tank. After turning onto the final approach leg, the pilot conducted a second prelanding check, again failing to reposition the selector away from the right auxiliary tank.
Seconds later, the engine sputtered and lost all power. The pilot attempted to move the fuel tank selector, but a passenger, who was also a pilot-rated individual, had already adjusted the setting. Engine power was restored shortly before the aircraft impacted a berm approximately 500 feet short of the runway. There were no injuries reported in the accident.
The investigation
An examination of the aircraft revealed that while the left auxiliary fuel tank and the two main tanks contained a combined total of 50 gallons of fuel, the right auxiliary fuel tank was dry.