PA28 PLT HAD AN ENG LOSE POWER AND MADE AN OFF ARPT LNDG AFTER SWITCHING FUEL TANKS.

Narrative

ON JULY/SAT/2004 I WAS PERFORMING INSTRUMENT MANEUVERS WITH MR X WHO WAS ACTING AS MY SAFETY PLT IN HIS 1962 CHEROKEE 160 (PA-28). I WAS PREPARING TO PERFORM THE RWY 22 VOR APCH VIA THE E 7 DME ARC. BEFORE THE APCH WAS INITIATED; MR X SUGGESTED THAT I SWITCH FUEL TANKS BECAUSE WE HAD BEEN FLYING FOR ABOUT AN HOUR ON THE L FUEL TANK. I TURNED ON THE AUXILIARY FUEL PUMP AND SWITCHED TO THE R FUEL TANK. MR X VERIFIED POSITIVE FUEL PRESSURE AND I TURNED THE AUXILIARY OFF AND VERIFIED THAT WE STILL HAD POSITIVE FUEL PRESSURE. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; THE ENG SPUTTERED AND WE LOST FUEL PRESSURE. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED ON THE AUXILIARY FUEL PUMP AND MR X INCREASED THE MIXTURE TO FULL RICH. HOWEVER; FUEL PRESSURE DID NOT RETURN AND I SWITCHED BACK TO THE L FUEL TANK. WE STILL DID NOT HAVE ANY FUEL PRESSURE. I TRIMMED THE ACFT FOR MAXIMUM GLIDE AND MR X TOLD ME TO TURN L AND ATTEMPT TO LAND ON THE HIGHWAY. WHILE ENRTE TO OUR PROPOSED LNDG SPOT; WE WORKED TOGETHER TO TRY TO RESTART THE ENG. MR X WAS AT THE CTLS FOR THE APCH AND LNDG. I CONTINUED TO TRY TO RESTART THE ENG BY SWITCHING THE FUEL TANKS AND CHECKING THE MAGNETOS JUST PRIOR TO LNDG. AFTER SPEAKING TO AN AIRFRAME AND POWERPLANT TECHNICIAN; I BELIEVE THAT I MAY HAVE INADVERTENTLY PUSHED THE FUEL VALVE PAST THE R TANK POSITION. ACCORDING TO THE TECHNICIAN; THIS COULD CAUSE A LOW OR NO FUEL FLOW SIT. THE VALVE DOES HAVE DETENTS THAT CAN BE FELT; HOWEVER I FEEL IF THERE WAS A SYSTEM THAT WOULD REQUIRE BOTH HANDS TO PUT THE FUEL SELECTOR PAST THE R OR L TANK POSITIONS; THIS EVENT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE PLT SAID THERE WERE NO FUEL SELECTOR LOCKS IN HIS ACFT. THAT WAS WHY IT WAS SO HARD TO FEEL THE PROPER DETENTS.