BE35 SUFFERS ENG FAILURE DUE TO FUEL STARVATION ON DSCNT TO DEST ARPT.

Narrative

DURING A DSCNT TO LAND AT ZZZ1 THE ENG IN THE BEECHCRAFT BONANZA LOST FUEL PRESSURE AND QUIT RUNNING. ATTEMPTS TO RESTART FAILED. THE ACFT WAS LANDED ON INTERSTATE WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE AIRPLANE WAS TOWED TO ARPT AND AN INSPECTION PERFORMED BY THE FBO. ON INSPECTION OF THE FUEL TANKS THEY FOUND 0.8 GALS OF FUEL IN THE R TANK AND 6.2 GALS OF FUEL IN THE L FUEL TANK. BOTH FUEL GAUGES READ 1/4 TANK OF FUEL. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE WAS ALLOWING FUEL TO PASS OR BE RETURNED FROM THE ENG TO THE L FUEL TANK. THE FUEL SYS ON THIS ACFT IS SUPPOSED TO RETURN THE FUEL TO THE FUEL TANK THAT IS BEING USED. THE FLT FROM KENTUCKY STARTED ON THE L FUEL TANK. THE AIRPLANE WAS FLOWN 1 HR EXACTLY ON THE L TANK AND THEN FLOWN 1 HR ON THE R FUEL TANK. AFTER THE SECOND HR THE FUEL VALVE WAS SWITCHED BACK TO THE L FUEL TANK AND FLOWN UNTIL THE L TANK WAS COMPLETELY EMPTY (1 HR 47 MINS) FOR A TOTAL FLT TIME ON THE L FUEL TANK OF 2 HRS 47 MINS. THIS INCLUDED TKOF AND CLB TO 8500 FT MSL. AFTER FLYING 1 HR AND 10 MINS MORE WHILE DSNDING FOR LNDG AT ZZZ1 LOST FUEL PRESSURE AND THE ENG QUIT RUNNING. TOTAL FLT TIME ON THE R FUEL TANK 2 HRS AND 10 MINS. THE ACFT HOLDS 40 GALS PER SIDE. AT THE CRUISE SETTING THAT WAS BEING USED THE ACFT BURNS 12.8 GPH; THAT'S 3 HRS OF FUEL. THE R TANK HAD ONLY BEEN USED FOR CRUISE. THE R FUEL TANK SHOULD HAVE HELD BTWN 2 HRS AND 47 MINS AND 3 HRS OF FUEL. PLT: I DO NOT FLY THIS ACFT ON A REGULAR BASIS. BECAUSE OF THAT I DID NOT TRUST THE FUEL GAUGES. THIS WAS A LONG TRIP SO I DECIDED TO TIME THE FUEL. I RAN THE L FUEL TANK COMPLETELY DRY AND NOTED THE FLT TIME. BASED ON THE FUEL USED ON THE L SIDE I HAD 2 HRS 47 MINS WORTH OF FUEL IN THE R FUEL TANK WITH SOME FUDGE FACTOR SINCE I TOOK OFF AND CLBED ON THE L FUEL TANK. WHEN THE ENG QUIT I HAD ONLY FLOWN 2 HRS 10 MINS ON THE R FUEL TANK BECAUSE I RAN THE L FUEL TANK COMPLETELY DRY AND THE R FUEL GAUGE SAID I STILL HAD 1/4 TANK OF FUEL IN THE R FUEL TANK I SPENT THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME TRYING TO RESTART ON THE R FUEL TANK. AS A LAST EFFORT I DID SWITCH TO THE L FUEL TANK AND RAN THE BOOST PUMP FOR ABOUT 10 SECONDS THEN JUST RAN OUT OF TIME I SHUT THE FUEL SYS DOWN AND PREPARED FOR THE OFF ARPT LNDG. CORRECTIVE ACTION: REBUILD OR REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE. MY OPINION: AT THE TIME THE ENG LOST FUEL PRESSURE I HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING WHY. THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT A MINIMUM; 37 MINS OF FUEL IN THE R FUEL TANK AND THE L FUEL TANK SHOULD HAVE BEEN BONE DRY. MY CALCULATIONS SHOWED THIS AND THE R FUEL GAUGE BACKED THAT UP (1/4 OF A TANK). I DID NOT KNOW WHETHER THE PRESSURE LOSS WAS DUE TO THE ENG NOT TURNING FULL RPM'S; AN INJECTOR PUMP FAILURE; A PLUGGED FUEL LINE OR SOME OTHER ENG COMPONENT FAILURE. I DID WHAT I WAS TRAINED TO DO. I DID WHAT I COULD IN THE 3 OR 4 MINS I HAD TO ASSESS THE PROB AND THAN REACT IN AN EFFORT TO RESTART THE ENG. THEN WHEN I FIGURED I NEEDED TO ABANDON ANY EFFORT TO RESTART I CONCENTRATED ON 'FLYING THE AIRPLANE' AND GETTING IT ON THE GND SAFELY.