PLT OF LONG EZ ACFT WHEN SWITCHING FUEL TANKS DOES NOT COMPLETELY ENGAGE THE FUEL CTL VALVE CAUSING FUEL STARVATION AND AN EMER LNDG.

Narrative

AFTER DEPARTING CNO WE FLEW DIRECT TO L00. ABOUT 6 MI OUT FROM ROSAMOND; I SWITCHED FUEL TANKS (FROM THE L TANK TO THE R TANK) IN PREPARATION FOR LNDG. WE OVERFLEW THE ARPT AND MADE A NORMAL DOWNWIND APCH TO RWY 25 (L BASE TO RWY 25). JUST AS I WAS BEGINNING TO START MY L BASE THE ENG QUIT. BASED ON MY CURRENT POS RELATIVE TO RWY 25; I DID NOT FEEL I WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE THE APCH END OF THE RWY; SO I ELECTED TO LAND ON THE TXWY CLOSEST TO THE HANGARS AND RESIDENCE. WHEN FLYING MY LONG EZ; I NORMALLY CROSS THE RWY THRESHOLD AT 80 KTS. WHEN I CROSSED THE TXWY THRESHOLD; I WAS INDICATING 72 KTS. I BELIEVED AT THE TIME; AND I AM NOW CONVINCED; THAT IF I HAD ATTEMPTED TO LAND ON RWY 25 I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REACH THE RWY AND WOULD HAVE CRASHED THE ACFT. AFTER LNDG AND CALMING MY NERVES; I DETERMINED THAT THE FUEL CTL VALVE WAS NOT ALL THE WAY TO THE R TANK POS; EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS AND FELT LIKE IT WAS ALL THE WAY TO THE R. THIS IS THE REASON THE ENG QUIT (FUEL STARVATION). ALL CONSIDERED; I FEEL I MADE THE APPROPRIATE DECISION; EVEN THOUGH THIS MAY HAVE ANGERED SOME OF THE LCL RESIDENTS. BEFORE RETURNING TO CNO; I PERFORMED A PREFLT OF THE ACFT; SWITCHED TANKS; RAN UP THE ENG; SWITCHED TANKS AND RAN UP THE ENG ONCE AGAIN. I PERFORMED THIS SEVERAL TIMES WITHOUT ANY PROBS. WITH THE FUEL SELECTOR IN THE PROPER POS; THE ACFT PERFORMED AS IT SHOULD. I RETURNED TO CNO AND DID NOT EXPERIENCE ANY PROBS.