BE-35 PLT LOST ENGINE POWER ON A NIGHT IMC APCH TO HWD.

Narrative

I DEPARTED LMT (KLAMATH FALLS; OREGON) WITH FULL TANKS FOR A NIGHT VFR FLIGHT TO HWD (HAYWARD; CA) IN MY BE-35 BONANZA; WHICH I HAVE OWNED FOR APPROXIMATELY 10 YEARS. COMMERCIAL FLIGHT PLANNER PREDICTED A FLIGHT TIME OF APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS; AND FUEL BURN OF APPROXIMATELY 20 GALLONS OF FUEL; OUT OF A 40-GALLON CAPACITY DIVIDED BETWEEN TWO WING FUEL TANKS. WHILE ENROUTE; I ENCOUNTERED MUCH STRONGER WINDS THAN FORECAST; HOWEVER MY ESTIMATED TIME ENROUTE WAS CALCULATED NOT TO EXCEED 3 HOURS; WHICH LEFT MORE THAN 45 MINUTES RESERVED ONBOARD. UPON APPROACHING APC (NAPA; CA); I OBTAINED ATIS INFORMATION FROM OAK (OAKLAND; CA) AND SJC (SAN JOSE; CA) REVEALING THAT SINCE BOTH OF THOSE AIRPORTS WERE IFR; HWD PROBABLY WAS ALSO; DESPITE A FORECAST OF VFR. I THEN OBTAINED AND FLEW AN IFR CLEARANCE FROM BAY APPROACH CONTROL CONSISTING OF RADAR VECTORS TO THE LOC/DME APPROACH TO HWD. AT APPROXIMATELY 12 MILES DME (EAST) FROM HWD; WAS CLEARED FOR THE APPROACH; AND I INTERCEPTED AND BEGAN TRACKING THE LOCALIZER INBOUND; IN IMC CONDITIONS. AT APPROXIMATELY 7 DME FROM HWD; WITH THE LEFT FUEL TANK (INDICATING 1/4 CAPACITY) SELECTED; THE ENGINE SUDDENLY LOST COMPLETE POWER. I SIMULTANEOUSLY SWITCHED THE FUEL SELECTOR TO THE RIGHT TANK; AND DECLARED A MAYDAY EMERGENCY WITH BAY APPROACH. I GENTLY SLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO BEST GLIDE SPEED; FEATHERED THE (ELECTRIC) PROPELLER; AND AWAITED THE FUEL FROM THE RIGHT TANK TO REACH THE ENGINE; WHILE TRACKING THE LOCALIZER INBOUND; AND TRACKING MY DME AND ALTITUDE ON THE APPROACH. AT APPROXIMATELY 800 FEET MSL; I WAS ABLE TO MAKE VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE HWD RUNWAY; AT WHICH TIME I CANCELLED THE IFR WITH BAY APPROACH; INFORMED THEM THAT I THOUGHT I WOULD MAKE IT DOWN ONTO THE RUNWAY. AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME; POWER CAME BACK TO THE ENGINE; SO I LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR; AND WAS ABLE TO LAND UNEVENTFULLY. LATER THAT DAY; I INSPECTED THE AIRCRAFT; AND IT APPEARED TO BE IN SOUND MECHANICAL CONDITION; EXCEPT THAT THE LEFT FUEL CELL WAS PULLED UP TOWARD THE FILLER CAP; SYMPTOMATIC OF A PLUGGED FUEL TANK VENT. I SUSPECT THAT WHEN I WITHDREW THE FIRST HOUR OF FUEL FROM THE LEFT TANK; THE FUEL CELL DEFORMED; SO THAT WHEN I SUBSEQUENTLY SWITCHED TO THE RIGHT TANK FOR THE NEXT HOUR OF FLIGHT; THE FUEL THAT WAS BYPASSED BY THE CARBURETOR AND ROUTED TO THE LEFT TANK; WHICH FILLED TO ITS (DEFORMED) CAPACITY; AND SUBSEQUENTLY VENTED PRESSURIZED FUEL OVERBOARD. THE DEFORMED TANK ALSO MAY HAVE CAUSED THE FUEL-LEVEL SENDER TO INDICATE FUEL; WHEN IN FACT THERE WAS LITTLE OR NO FUEL IN THE LEFT TANK. THE AIRCRAFT IS GROUNDED PENDING INSPECTION AND REPAIR BY AN A&P MECHANIC.