Incident Sequence
The pilot purchased the airplane on March 11, 2003, and was aware of recent maintenance on the fuel selector valve. After examining the aircraft, he departed on a cross-country flight to his home base. Approximately two hours into the flight, the engine quit due to fuel exhaustion. He switched the fuel selector to the left wing-tip tank, restarted the engine, and landed at the nearest airport. An inspection revealed the right main and right wing-tip tanks were full, the left wing-tip tank was half full, and the left main tank was dry. After refueling, he resumed the flight. During the next two hours, he periodically switched the fuel selector between the wing-tip and main tanks. At approximately the two-hour mark, the engine quit again. He restarted it by switching to the left wing-tip tank, landed to refuel, and continued to his destination.
Accident Landing
On March 14, the day of the accident, the pilot departed on another cross-country flight. During the second hour, he switched the fuel selector in 20-minute intervals: from main tanks to left wing-tip, then to right wing-tip, and back to main. Roughly two hours into the flight, the engine sputtered and stopped. He restarted it, but it ran for only a few seconds. He attempted to glide to nearby Alexander Municipal Airport but was forced to land approximately 250 feet short of runway 21. The impact caused substantial damage to both wings, the firewall, and the separation of all landing gear assemblies.
Damage
The aircraft sustained substantial damage, including structural deformation to both wings and the firewall. All three landing gear assemblies separated from the airframe during the forced landing.