On January 12, 1997, at 1115 central standard time, a Piper PA-28-180, N33037, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of power near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The airplane was owned and operated by a private owner under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an IFR flight plan was filed. The instrument rated private pilot sustained minor injuries and his two passengers were not injured. The 515 nautical mile flight originated from Brooksville, Florida, at 0630 CST, with Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as its destination. The pilot departed Hernando County Airport in Brooksville, Florida, on an instrument flight plan, with a estimated time en route of four hours and twenty three minutes. On the flight plan, the pilot listed the fuel endurance of the airplane for the flight as five hours and twenty four minutes. He reported that he departed with 50 gallons of fuel, of which 48 gallons are usable. The airplane ran out of fuel after 5 hours and 26 minutes of flight. A copy of the pilot's proposed route of flight and his flight plan are enclosed. The pilot reported to Air Traffic Control that the airplane had ran out of fuel approximately ten miles east of his destination airport. ATC provided a vector direct to the airport; however, the airplane landed heading west bound on a four lane highway approximately 4 miles southeast of the airport. The pilot told the FAA inspector at the accident site that the airplane contacted power lines prior to touching down on the highway. He added that during the landing roll, the right main landing gear was torn off after impacting a sidewalk curb and the right wing sustained extensive leading edge damage after impacting a residential mail box. The FAA inspector reported that the nose landing gear collapsed and the engine firewall sustained structural damage during the accident sequence. The airplane came to rest on an eastbound heading at 10327 Greenwell Spring Road. Examination of the airplane's fuel system by FAA inspectors revealed that the fuel selector was in the left tank position, the right wing tank was found empty; however, the tank was compromised by the shearing of the fuel drain. The left wing fuel system was not compromised and it contained approximately one cup of fuel. See the enclosed Inspector's Statement for details of their examination.