Incident Overview
The airplane struck a pole while performing a forced landing on a road following a loss of engine power.
Pilot Actions
Before departure, the pilot filled the main and tip tanks and reported that the auxiliary fuel tank had been previously filled. According to the pilot, his normal practice was to fill either the auxiliary tank or the tip tanks, but not both at the same time. He commonly rotated fuel usage between the auxiliary and tip tanks every 3 to 4 months. Having relied on the auxiliary tank for the previous several months, he chose to use the wing tip tanks for this flight. However, he did not run the engine from the tip tanks prior to departing.
Approximately 40 minutes into the flight, the pilot switched from the main fuel tank to the right tip tank. Before selecting the tip tank, he activated the auxiliary fuel pump. Based on past experience when the wing tip tanks had not been used for an extended period, he anticipated that the engine would sputter and then restart. On this occasion, after sputtering, the engine failed to restart. The pilot then returned the fuel selector to the main tank and confirmed fuel pressure, but the engine would not restart.
Examination Findings
An on-scene inspection by the Federal Aviation Administration revealed no mechanical anomalies. Fuel was present in all four fuel tanks. A subsequent examination of the airplane's fuel system determined that the lines and tanks were free from obstruction and showed no evidence of contamination.