Pilot Report
The pilot reported that during the preflight run-up, he was distracted and inadvertently failed to move the fuel selector from the right tank to the left tank. He noted that the owner's manual, checklist, placard, and his flight instructor had all explicitly stated that takeoff on the right fuel tank with less than one-third fuel was prohibited. At the time of takeoff, the airplane had approximately 10 gallons of fuel total, distributed between two 18-gallon wing tanks.
Sequence of Events
Shortly after becoming airborne, at about 100 feet above ground level, the engine lost power. The pilot switched the fuel selector to the left tank but was unable to restart the engine. The airplane then struck the runway in a nose-low attitude, resulting in substantial damage.