Narrative:

Though I have over 100 hours in the incident airplane; I hadn't flown it since getting a BFR in it in march of this yr. In fact; I hadn't been doing much flying at all in the last yr. Currency was definitely a factor. I was flying to ZZZ for a meeting; flying into the sun; navigating on a familiar route with pilotage backed up by a single VOR. I was thinking about the possibility of fuel flowing into the auxiliary tank from the main tank while inverted and thought I should make sure the auxiliary valve was closed. This was unnecessary at this time as it was a cross country flight with no inverted flight contemplated. I looked down and saw the valve on. The right thing to do would have been to check it on the ground at ZZZ when I could access and easily see both valves. I turned the valve off. I didn't realize at the time; but this was the main valve. It took several mins for the engine to run out of gas. I received a radio call from approach giving a frequency change and the engine quit before I acknowledged it. I acknowledged automatically; then said (on the same frequency; while trying magnetos and mixture to no effect) that I had an engine out. When the controller asked my intentions; I replied look for someplace to set it down. The controller replied that the airport was 7 mi south. I replied that I didn't know if I'd make it over the ridge and didn't want to be over the congested area. I circled; located a field with a hay barn and setup there. The landing was uneventful. I reported down and stopped with no injuries or damage which was relayed. I asked the relaying airplane to relay a phone number; which he did; then secured the airplane and set off to find help at the hay barn. After making contact with the crash fire rescue equipment personnel that ATC had sent out and showing them that I hadn't run out of fuel; I went through the same drill with the sheriff's deputy while he was talking with the NTSB. This was followed by a call from an FAA inspector. After talking with my mechanic and getting some debugging ideas; I attempted to start the airplane successfully; but it quit on the mechanical pump. I attempted to start again; but was unable to get flow on electric pump; though I could hear it running. At this point the light came on and I realized what I had done. Turned the fuel valve back on; started the airplane normally; ran it for a while; verified everything was fine. Called the FAA inspector back; confessed what I had discovered; and explained my intent to fly the airplane out as I had discovered the cause of the problem; knew it wasn't an airworthiness issue (at least for the airplane) and had the landowner's permission. He checked with his supervisor; agreed that there was no airworthiness issue; and stated that as I was PIC; that there was no airworthiness issue; and stated that as I was PIC; the decision to depart was up to me. Took off and flew the airplane back to ZZZ as the meeting was over by this time. What I should have done differently would fill a book; but first; more currency before taking the airplane on a trip. Second; don't make any confign changes that aren't needed. Third; remember the changes made and undo them. Fourth; think and debug the problem. As someone who has worked as a mechanic; I know how the engine works; but that all went out the window that morning. I didn't verify that I had fuel flow. If I had; it would likely have made me think about the valve I had turned off. At the very least; it should have caused me to turn on the electric boost pump; which I didn't. Once I accepted that the engine had really quit (pretty quickly); I just switched completely to focusing on landing the airplane. I'm glad I was able to identify a good spot and safely land the airplane; but had I not stopped thinking and dug into why the engine quit; I could have avoided the landing altogether.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PITTS S-2B PLT CONDUCTED FORCED LNDG AS A RESULT OF FUEL STARVATION. MAIN FUEL VALVE HAD BEEN INADVERTENTLY TURNED OFF.

Narrative: THOUGH I HAVE OVER 100 HRS IN THE INCIDENT AIRPLANE; I HADN'T FLOWN IT SINCE GETTING A BFR IN IT IN MARCH OF THIS YR. IN FACT; I HADN'T BEEN DOING MUCH FLYING AT ALL IN THE LAST YR. CURRENCY WAS DEFINITELY A FACTOR. I WAS FLYING TO ZZZ FOR A MEETING; FLYING INTO THE SUN; NAVING ON A FAMILIAR RTE WITH PILOTAGE BACKED UP BY A SINGLE VOR. I WAS THINKING ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF FUEL FLOWING INTO THE AUX TANK FROM THE MAIN TANK WHILE INVERTED AND THOUGHT I SHOULD MAKE SURE THE AUX VALVE WAS CLOSED. THIS WAS UNNECESSARY AT THIS TIME AS IT WAS A XCOUNTRY FLT WITH NO INVERTED FLT CONTEMPLATED. I LOOKED DOWN AND SAW THE VALVE ON. THE RIGHT THING TO DO WOULD HAVE BEEN TO CHK IT ON THE GND AT ZZZ WHEN I COULD ACCESS AND EASILY SEE BOTH VALVES. I TURNED THE VALVE OFF. I DIDN'T REALIZE AT THE TIME; BUT THIS WAS THE MAIN VALVE. IT TOOK SEVERAL MINS FOR THE ENG TO RUN OUT OF GAS. I RECEIVED A RADIO CALL FROM APCH GIVING A FREQ CHANGE AND THE ENG QUIT BEFORE I ACKNOWLEDGED IT. I ACKNOWLEDGED AUTOMATICALLY; THEN SAID (ON THE SAME FREQ; WHILE TRYING MAGNETOS AND MIXTURE TO NO EFFECT) THAT I HAD AN ENG OUT. WHEN THE CTLR ASKED MY INTENTIONS; I REPLIED LOOK FOR SOMEPLACE TO SET IT DOWN. THE CTLR REPLIED THAT THE ARPT WAS 7 MI S. I REPLIED THAT I DIDN'T KNOW IF I'D MAKE IT OVER THE RIDGE AND DIDN'T WANT TO BE OVER THE CONGESTED AREA. I CIRCLED; LOCATED A FIELD WITH A HAY BARN AND SETUP THERE. THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. I RPTED DOWN AND STOPPED WITH NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE WHICH WAS RELAYED. I ASKED THE RELAYING AIRPLANE TO RELAY A PHONE NUMBER; WHICH HE DID; THEN SECURED THE AIRPLANE AND SET OFF TO FIND HELP AT THE HAY BARN. AFTER MAKING CONTACT WITH THE CFR PERSONNEL THAT ATC HAD SENT OUT AND SHOWING THEM THAT I HADN'T RUN OUT OF FUEL; I WENT THROUGH THE SAME DRILL WITH THE SHERIFF'S DEPUTY WHILE HE WAS TALKING WITH THE NTSB. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY A CALL FROM AN FAA INSPECTOR. AFTER TALKING WITH MY MECH AND GETTING SOME DEBUGGING IDEAS; I ATTEMPTED TO START THE AIRPLANE SUCCESSFULLY; BUT IT QUIT ON THE MECHANICAL PUMP. I ATTEMPTED TO START AGAIN; BUT WAS UNABLE TO GET FLOW ON ELECTRIC PUMP; THOUGH I COULD HEAR IT RUNNING. AT THIS POINT THE LIGHT CAME ON AND I REALIZED WHAT I HAD DONE. TURNED THE FUEL VALVE BACK ON; STARTED THE AIRPLANE NORMALLY; RAN IT FOR A WHILE; VERIFIED EVERYTHING WAS FINE. CALLED THE FAA INSPECTOR BACK; CONFESSED WHAT I HAD DISCOVERED; AND EXPLAINED MY INTENT TO FLY THE AIRPLANE OUT AS I HAD DISCOVERED THE CAUSE OF THE PROB; KNEW IT WASN'T AN AIRWORTHINESS ISSUE (AT LEAST FOR THE AIRPLANE) AND HAD THE LANDOWNER'S PERMISSION. HE CHKED WITH HIS SUPVR; AGREED THAT THERE WAS NO AIRWORTHINESS ISSUE; AND STATED THAT AS I WAS PIC; THAT THERE WAS NO AIRWORTHINESS ISSUE; AND STATED THAT AS I WAS PIC; THE DECISION TO DEPART WAS UP TO ME. TOOK OFF AND FLEW THE AIRPLANE BACK TO ZZZ AS THE MEETING WAS OVER BY THIS TIME. WHAT I SHOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY WOULD FILL A BOOK; BUT FIRST; MORE CURRENCY BEFORE TAKING THE AIRPLANE ON A TRIP. SECOND; DON'T MAKE ANY CONFIGN CHANGES THAT AREN'T NEEDED. THIRD; REMEMBER THE CHANGES MADE AND UNDO THEM. FOURTH; THINK AND DEBUG THE PROB. AS SOMEONE WHO HAS WORKED AS A MECH; I KNOW HOW THE ENG WORKS; BUT THAT ALL WENT OUT THE WINDOW THAT MORNING. I DIDN'T VERIFY THAT I HAD FUEL FLOW. IF I HAD; IT WOULD LIKELY HAVE MADE ME THINK ABOUT THE VALVE I HAD TURNED OFF. AT THE VERY LEAST; IT SHOULD HAVE CAUSED ME TO TURN ON THE ELECTRIC BOOST PUMP; WHICH I DIDN'T. ONCE I ACCEPTED THAT THE ENG HAD REALLY QUIT (PRETTY QUICKLY); I JUST SWITCHED COMPLETELY TO FOCUSING ON LNDG THE AIRPLANE. I'M GLAD I WAS ABLE TO IDENT A GOOD SPOT AND SAFELY LAND THE AIRPLANE; BUT HAD I NOT STOPPED THINKING AND DUG INTO WHY THE ENG QUIT; I COULD HAVE AVOIDED THE LNDG ALTOGETHER.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.