20001104023089A

(-23) Airman irani in writing, stated he was making a IFR approach into Livermore, CA. When he informed his observation pilot that he was going to change fuel tanks. Airman irani errorred in changing the fuel tank selector from left tank to the off position. The a/c engine immediately lost power due to fuel exhaustion. While in the emergency descent, airman irani and airman barker tried effortlessly to switch the selector back to either the left or right tank. Once realized that they could not switch the selector, they selected a clearing for landing and declared an emergency with the liverpool control tower. (.4) after making a forced landing in an open field due to a loss of engine power, the airplane sustained substantial damage when it collided with a berm. The purpose of the flight was for the first pilot to gain more experience flying the airplane, as he was not familiar with it. He had asked one of the part owners of the airplane to act as his safety pilot during the flight because he was going to practice IFR procedures. During an ils-localizer approach, the first pilot inadvertently switched the fuel selector handle to the "off" position. The engine lost power. The first pilot was unable to move the fuel selector back to its original position. The safety pilot took control of the airplane, declared an emergency, and landed the airplane. The first pilot informed the responding police officer that he believed the fuel selector positions were "left-off-right." The actual positions of the fuel selector were "off-left-right." The officer observed the fuel selector handle pointing towards the "off" position. The fuel selector handle was examined. It was difficult to move, as if there was not enough lubrication on it, but it functioned properly.