Narrative:

I was flying the company's small aircraft on an IFR flight plan to bna, an intermediate fuel stop on the way to pbi. The owner of the company was in the right seat, my wife in one of the back seats. We were in ZKC, decatur sector, in VMC at 7000' MSL assigned altitude. West/O warning the engine died. I began mentally going through the engine out checklist. I established the proper glide speed and got bearing and distance to the nearest airport on the LORAN. About this time center called to inform me that I was 600' low and losing altitude. I informed them that I had experienced an engine failure and requested vectors to the nearest airport. They confirmed that shelby airport was on a bearing of 220 degrees and about 12 mi. They also asked if I could make the airport. I said that I didn't think so. They cleared me to the airport and I think it was at abut that time that the controller said, 'I'm declaring an emergency.' I managed to restart the engine and informed him that I had done so. He asked my intentions and I said that I was going to make a precautionary landing to try to determine the cause of the failure. There was no detectable water in the fuel, so we topped the tanks and I called our dealer in minneapolis to get his opinion of what it might have been. He said that the only thing that he could think of that might have caused that type of failure was the fuel selector being moved off the detent. I started the engine and ran it at fairly high RPM with the fuel selector between right and left tanks. The engine started to quit within a few seconds. I was satisfied that this was the cause, so I refiled to a new intermediate destination and we continue the trip west/O incident. I believe that I inadvertently kicked the fuel selector to a position between tanks and this caused the fuel starvation. The reason it took me so long to restart the engine is that turning on the fuel boost pump was the last thing that I tried. The propeller was windmilling the whole time, but the rpms were not sufficient for the engine driven pump to pull enough fuel through the empty lines once fuel flow was reestablished by selecting a tank. I am scheduled for proficiency training and I will request extra emergency training during that course. I will also refrain from using the fuel selector quadrant for a foot rest. I think that I did a fairly good job of flying the aircraft first and finding the closest airport. I didn't do an adequate job of communication until center called me first, and I should have seen the 0 fuel flow and turned the boost pump on sooner.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CPR SMT ENGINE QUIT AT CRUISE ALT DUE TO FUEL STARVATION. PLT HAD INADVERTENTLY HIT THE FUEL SELECTOR OFF CENTER WITH HIS FOOT.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING THE COMPANY'S SMA ON AN IFR FLT PLAN TO BNA, AN INTERMEDIATE FUEL STOP ON THE WAY TO PBI. THE OWNER OF THE COMPANY WAS IN THE RIGHT SEAT, MY WIFE IN ONE OF THE BACK SEATS. WE WERE IN ZKC, DECATUR SECTOR, IN VMC AT 7000' MSL ASSIGNED ALT. W/O WARNING THE ENG DIED. I BEGAN MENTALLY GOING THROUGH THE ENG OUT CHKLIST. I ESTABLISHED THE PROPER GLIDE SPD AND GOT BEARING AND DISTANCE TO THE NEAREST ARPT ON THE LORAN. ABOUT THIS TIME CENTER CALLED TO INFORM ME THAT I WAS 600' LOW AND LOSING ALT. I INFORMED THEM THAT I HAD EXPERIENCED AN ENG FAILURE AND REQUESTED VECTORS TO THE NEAREST ARPT. THEY CONFIRMED THAT SHELBY ARPT WAS ON A BEARING OF 220 DEGS AND ABOUT 12 MI. THEY ALSO ASKED IF I COULD MAKE THE ARPT. I SAID THAT I DIDN'T THINK SO. THEY CLRED ME TO THE ARPT AND I THINK IT WAS AT ABUT THAT TIME THAT THE CTLR SAID, 'I'M DECLARING AN EMER.' I MANAGED TO RESTART THE ENG AND INFORMED HIM THAT I HAD DONE SO. HE ASKED MY INTENTIONS AND I SAID THAT I WAS GOING TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG TO TRY TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THERE WAS NO DETECTABLE WATER IN THE FUEL, SO WE TOPPED THE TANKS AND I CALLED OUR DEALER IN MINNEAPOLIS TO GET HIS OPINION OF WHAT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN. HE SAID THAT THE ONLY THING THAT HE COULD THINK OF THAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED THAT TYPE OF FAILURE WAS THE FUEL SELECTOR BEING MOVED OFF THE DETENT. I STARTED THE ENG AND RAN IT AT FAIRLY HIGH RPM WITH THE FUEL SELECTOR BTWN RIGHT AND LEFT TANKS. THE ENG STARTED TO QUIT WITHIN A FEW SECS. I WAS SATISFIED THAT THIS WAS THE CAUSE, SO I REFILED TO A NEW INTERMEDIATE DEST AND WE CONTINUE THE TRIP W/O INCIDENT. I BELIEVE THAT I INADVERTENTLY KICKED THE FUEL SELECTOR TO A POS BTWN TANKS AND THIS CAUSED THE FUEL STARVATION. THE REASON IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO RESTART THE ENG IS THAT TURNING ON THE FUEL BOOST PUMP WAS THE LAST THING THAT I TRIED. THE PROP WAS WINDMILLING THE WHOLE TIME, BUT THE RPMS WERE NOT SUFFICIENT FOR THE ENG DRIVEN PUMP TO PULL ENOUGH FUEL THROUGH THE EMPTY LINES ONCE FUEL FLOW WAS REESTABLISHED BY SELECTING A TANK. I AM SCHEDULED FOR PROFICIENCY TRNING AND I WILL REQUEST EXTRA EMER TRNING DURING THAT COURSE. I WILL ALSO REFRAIN FROM USING THE FUEL SELECTOR QUADRANT FOR A FOOT REST. I THINK THAT I DID A FAIRLY GOOD JOB OF FLYING THE ACFT FIRST AND FINDING THE CLOSEST ARPT. I DIDN'T DO AN ADEQUATE JOB OF COM UNTIL CENTER CALLED ME FIRST, AND I SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE 0 FUEL FLOW AND TURNED THE BOOST PUMP ON SOONER.

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.