Accident Summary
The airplane collided with a berm during a forced landing in an industrial building construction site. The forced landing followed a loss of engine power. The pilot reported that he did not check the fuel quantity during the preflight inspection. He stated that the airplane had been "topped off" a month prior to the accident, after which about one hour of flight was conducted using the right fuel tank.
Flight Details
The pilot said that during the 160-nautical-mile accident flight, he did not recall switching fuel tanks. Approximately three miles north of the destination airport, the engine began to sputter and lost power. The pilot switched fuel tanks and activated the electric fuel boost pump; the engine restarted momentarily but then sputtered and lost power again. The pilot attempted to switch tanks three or four more times, but the engine did not restart.
Post-Accident Inspection
A post-accident inspection by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that the right fuel tank was empty, while the left tank contained approximately six gallons of 100LL aviation fuel. The fuel line to the carburetor contained no fuel. The fuel selector valve was positioned to the right tank. When the electric fuel pump was activated, no fuel pressure indication was observed. After moving the fuel selector handle to the left tank position, a fuel pressure indication within the normal operating range was observed.