Date: 201305
Local time of day: 1201-1800
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Flight conditions: VMC
Weather elements / visibility: 10
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: Cessna Super Skywagon/Super Skylane
Operator: Personal
Operating under: Part 91
Flight plan: None
Mission: Personal
Flight phase: Initial Approach
Airspace: Class G ZZZ
ATC / advisory: UNICOM ZZZ
Aircraft component: Engine
Component problem: Improperly Operated
Reporter organization: Personal
Reporter function: Single Pilot
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument
Human factors: Situational Awareness
Anomaly: Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; Flight Crew Inflight Shutdown
Contributing factors: Aircraft; Human Factors
Primary problem: Human Factors

Narrative: On May 2013 at approximately XA:00 hours; in good VFR weather; on base leg to the airport; the engine lost power. I switched the fuel selector to the opposite tank; but the engine did not restart. I set the mixture at full rich and the prop at low pitch and landed on the runway with the tail low and rolled to a stop. On the runway; I tried to restart the engine. It would not start. I tried restarting on the other tank; but again it would not start. I was calculating the fuel on board by the electronic fuel totalizer in the aircraft; keeping track of fuel consumption and switching tanks when the fuel totalizer registered 10 gallons of fuel having been utilized. I calculated that there was at least eight gallons of fuel remaining in the tanks of the aircraft when I landed. The fuel gauge for the right tank registered just under a quarter of a tank. The engine was running normally from fuel in the left tank when I switched from the left tank to the right tank. I had 25 gallons of fuel pumped into each of the airplane's tanks; a total of 50 gallons. I checked over the airplane. The airplane had cosmetic damage to the tail/underside of the rear tail-end of the fuselage due to the tail-low landing. After fueling; I started the engine. It ran normally during all checks. I took off and proceeded to another airport where I landed. I then took off and flew to another destination; where the fuel tanks were topped off. They took 36 gallons. The fuel tanks hold a total of 80 gallons. The total fuel added at these two airports totaled 86 gallons. The fuel used on the flights was 15 gallons. This calculates to approximately nine gallons of fuel in the fuel tanks when I landed without power.




Synopsis: The pilot of a Cessna 205 lost engine power on base leg during a VFR approach to an uncontrolled airport; attempts to restart the engine using failed.  The aircraft was landed power-off and tail-low; resulting in a tail strike with the runway. After refueling the aircraft the engine started and ran normally. Fuel usage had been calculated using the aircraft electronic fuel totalizer; providing the pilot with the assumption that at least 8 gallons remained onboard.