Narrative:

I was flying my M5 maule approximately 10 mi west of merrill field. I contacted the tower and informed them that I had the current ATIS information and that I intended to land. I received instructions from the tower to report again when I was over the mouth of ship creek. Prior to crossing cook inlet, I switched my fuel tank selector to what I believed was the 'both' position -- fuel pressure began dropping in just a few seconds. I turned the plane away from cook inlet and circled to try and determine the problem. At the same time there was a loud tone in my headset so that I couldn't hear any radio traffic from the tower or other aircraft in the area and I didn't know if I could transmit. I switched the fuel selector from 'both' to 'left' and the fuel pressure went up momentarily and then started dropping again, the engine stopping completely several seconds later. Because I was close to the ground and because I couldn't hear anything in my headset, I broadcast in the blind that I had an emergency. I then landed at a small strip in the immediate area. Once on the ground, I tried to contact the tower to inform them that I was all right and that I would attempt to determine the problem. I could not get the headset to work and the batteries were too cold in my portable radio to transmit. I was able to change headset after a few mins and that solved the communication problem. I visually checked both tanks and determined that although the left tank was almost empty, the right tank had adequate fuel for me to continue my flight. I closely inspected the fuel selector switch and found that the lever does not point to the active tank, rather that a small pointer on the opposite end of the lever points to the tank. My misreading of this indicator caused me to select not 'both' but 'off' thus causing fuel starvation to the engine. I restarted the engine on the right tank and called the tower. I requested and received priority clearance to land. I departed the small strip, crossed cook inlet, and landed at merrill field on runway 24 with no further problems. The headset I had a problem with is an early model telex anr. Although it does have a short tone indicator when the batteries are low, the tone in this situation was much louder and was continuous. I have since replaced the batteries and have had no further problems with the headset. The fuel selector switch probably would not have been a problem if I had been more familiar with the airplane. I had switched tanks about every 30 mins during the flight so the gauges never showed an obvious difference in amounts. Until I visually inspected the tanks and then confirmed what I saw with the fuel selector switch, I never knew the main part of the selector lever pointed away from the selected tank. I believe the fuel selection indicator on this model of plane would be safer if it was redesigned so that the small pointer was removed and the main length of the switch actually pointed to the selected tank.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PVT PLT OF A MAULE M5 DECLARED AN EMER TO THE TWR AND LANDED OFF ARPT 10 MI FROM DEST WHEN THE ENG QUIT DUE TO PLT INDUCED FUEL STARVATION. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING MY M5 MAULE APPROX 10 MI W OF MERRILL FIELD. I CONTACTED THE TWR AND INFORMED THEM THAT I HAD THE CURRENT ATIS INFO AND THAT I INTENDED TO LAND. I RECEIVED INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE TWR TO RPT AGAIN WHEN I WAS OVER THE MOUTH OF SHIP CREEK. PRIOR TO XING COOK INLET, I SWITCHED MY FUEL TANK SELECTOR TO WHAT I BELIEVED WAS THE 'BOTH' POS -- FUEL PRESSURE BEGAN DROPPING IN JUST A FEW SECONDS. I TURNED THE PLANE AWAY FROM COOK INLET AND CIRCLED TO TRY AND DETERMINE THE PROB. AT THE SAME TIME THERE WAS A LOUD TONE IN MY HEADSET SO THAT I COULDN'T HEAR ANY RADIO TFC FROM THE TWR OR OTHER ACFT IN THE AREA AND I DIDN'T KNOW IF I COULD XMIT. I SWITCHED THE FUEL SELECTOR FROM 'BOTH' TO 'L' AND THE FUEL PRESSURE WENT UP MOMENTARILY AND THEN STARTED DROPPING AGAIN, THE ENG STOPPING COMPLETELY SEVERAL SECONDS LATER. BECAUSE I WAS CLOSE TO THE GND AND BECAUSE I COULDN'T HEAR ANYTHING IN MY HEADSET, I BROADCAST IN THE BLIND THAT I HAD AN EMER. I THEN LANDED AT A SMALL STRIP IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA. ONCE ON THE GND, I TRIED TO CONTACT THE TWR TO INFORM THEM THAT I WAS ALL RIGHT AND THAT I WOULD ATTEMPT TO DETERMINE THE PROB. I COULD NOT GET THE HEADSET TO WORK AND THE BATTERIES WERE TOO COLD IN MY PORTABLE RADIO TO XMIT. I WAS ABLE TO CHANGE HEADSET AFTER A FEW MINS AND THAT SOLVED THE COM PROB. I VISUALLY CHKED BOTH TANKS AND DETERMINED THAT ALTHOUGH THE L TANK WAS ALMOST EMPTY, THE R TANK HAD ADEQUATE FUEL FOR ME TO CONTINUE MY FLT. I CLOSELY INSPECTED THE FUEL SELECTOR SWITCH AND FOUND THAT THE LEVER DOES NOT POINT TO THE ACTIVE TANK, RATHER THAT A SMALL POINTER ON THE OPPOSITE END OF THE LEVER POINTS TO THE TANK. MY MISREADING OF THIS INDICATOR CAUSED ME TO SELECT NOT 'BOTH' BUT 'OFF' THUS CAUSING FUEL STARVATION TO THE ENG. I RESTARTED THE ENG ON THE R TANK AND CALLED THE TWR. I REQUESTED AND RECEIVED PRIORITY CLRNC TO LAND. I DEPARTED THE SMALL STRIP, CROSSED COOK INLET, AND LANDED AT MERRILL FIELD ON RWY 24 WITH NO FURTHER PROBS. THE HEADSET I HAD A PROB WITH IS AN EARLY MODEL TELEX ANR. ALTHOUGH IT DOES HAVE A SHORT TONE INDICATOR WHEN THE BATTERIES ARE LOW, THE TONE IN THIS SIT WAS MUCH LOUDER AND WAS CONTINUOUS. I HAVE SINCE REPLACED THE BATTERIES AND HAVE HAD NO FURTHER PROBS WITH THE HEADSET. THE FUEL SELECTOR SWITCH PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A PROB IF I HAD BEEN MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE AIRPLANE. I HAD SWITCHED TANKS ABOUT EVERY 30 MINS DURING THE FLT SO THE GAUGES NEVER SHOWED AN OBVIOUS DIFFERENCE IN AMOUNTS. UNTIL I VISUALLY INSPECTED THE TANKS AND THEN CONFIRMED WHAT I SAW WITH THE FUEL SELECTOR SWITCH, I NEVER KNEW THE MAIN PART OF THE SELECTOR LEVER POINTED AWAY FROM THE SELECTED TANK. I BELIEVE THE FUEL SELECTION INDICATOR ON THIS MODEL OF PLANE WOULD BE SAFER IF IT WAS REDESIGNED SO THAT THE SMALL POINTER WAS REMOVED AND THE MAIN LENGTH OF THE SWITCH ACTUALLY POINTED TO THE SELECTED TANK.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.