Light Sport Aircraft
Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 7; Flight Crew Total 1560; Flight Crew Type 15
Other / Unknown
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Landed As Precaution; Flight Crew Inflight Shutdown; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Human Factors
VFR flight; in Flight Design CTSW: Route was around south end of Class C airspace at approximately 6;000 feet MSL. With 10 minutes left in the flight; engine lost power; 5;100 RPM to around 3;000 RPM. Transparent fuel tubes in cockpit revealed no fuel in left tank; but some in right. Applying carb heat; slow left turn putting right wing up in a bank had no benefit. Picked out a field. On short base leg; engine died completely. Landed; dead stick; in muddy wheat field. No damage to aircraft; anyone or anything on the ground. No injuries. Engine was restarted and ran fine on the ground minutes after landing. Dipstick showed ~5 gallons residual in right tank. None in left. Later; about 3.5 gallons was drained through the sump. Still later; after wing removal; some residual fuel was noted in the wing tanks.
LSA pilot experiences fuel starvation at 6;000 feet with fuel remaining in the right tank but the left tank empty. A successful off airport landing is executed without damage to anything or anyone.