Narrative:

In 3/89 I planned a cross country flight from beverly, ma, to hazleton, PA. Through my flight planning, I determined the distance of the flight to be 270 NM. I received a briefing the night before the trip. I learned that the WX would be VFR/cavu over my entire route of flight due to a massive high pressure ridge over the area. At the time, 20 KT quartering headwinds were forecast at 3000 ft MSL and 25 KTS at 6000 ft MSL. For most of the route, I planned to cruise at 2500 ft MSL. I calculated that the trip would take 3 hours. I would have 5 hours of fuel on board. On the day of the trip, because of the excellent forecast of the previous night, I did not receive another full briefing, nor did I file a flight plan. I had 1 passenger with me on the trip. Unknown to me, light winds aloft were actually blowing considerably at higher speeds than forecast the previous night. They were at 35 KTS at 3000 ft MSL, and at a direct headwind over most of my intended route. The result was an added 35 mins en route to my actual flight time. I fueled the airplane myself before the trip. There have been many complaints about fuel spillage at the beverly airport, so I was extra cautious about not spilling fuel over the wing. In that effort, I stopped short at filling the tank, leaving off probably 2 gals per ride. This would reduce my actual flight endurance about 30 mins below the 5 hours endurance that I expected. I am a commercial real estate broker professionally. I work throughout new england. While en route, I was to overfly 3 properties that I have been working on. Because I had my camera with me, I decided to take aerial photos of each of these 3 properties. This expended about 10 mins of fuel at each location, and at higher fuel burn rates because of the maneuvering and constant power setting changes. Furthermore, this threw off my schedule as far as my anticipated times at chkpoints. If I had corrected times crossing my chkpoints en route, I would have detected the higher than anticipated headwinds and made the necessary adjustments. When I became extremely concerned about my fuel situation, I determined that the jake arner airport would be the closest paved strip to my position. I had the arner airport in sight when the engine began to sputter due to fuel exhaustion. I idented a large clear, plowed field (1/2 mi square) about 1 mi east of the arner airport. Because of the strong headwind, I decided that I would not be able to make the arner airport. I completed my emergency prelndg checklist and easily landed the plane in the field without any damage or incident. Later, after consulting with the local police, the land owner, an FAA rep at allentown, and the operator of the local FBO, I put on 10 gals of fuel and flew out (without passenger) and relocated the airplane to the FBO at arner airport. I refueled the airplane, and then completed my flight to hazleton without any further difficulty. In retrospect there are several things that I should have done differently. First, I should have obtained another complete briefing immediately before the flight, and filed a flight plan with the FSS. Had I done so, I would have learned of the higher than anticipated headwinds, and made the necessary adjustments to my expected time en route. Secondly, I should have taken greater care to ensure that the tanks were completely topped off during the fueling process, and not relied upon the full indications of the fuel gauges. This would have resulted in about 30 extra mins of flight times. Thirdly, I should have either foregone the aerial photography exercise, or at least taken very accurate measurements of the time expended so that I could have adjusted my en route time between chkpoints. I will certainly be more mindful of these precautions on my next cross country flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: STRONG HEADWINDS, POOR PLANNING, FUEL EXHAUSTION, FORCED LNDG.

Narrative: IN 3/89 I PLANNED A XCOUNTRY FLT FROM BEVERLY, MA, TO HAZLETON, PA. THROUGH MY FLT PLANNING, I DETERMINED THE DISTANCE OF THE FLT TO BE 270 NM. I RECEIVED A BRIEFING THE NIGHT BEFORE THE TRIP. I LEARNED THAT THE WX WOULD BE VFR/CAVU OVER MY ENTIRE RTE OF FLT DUE TO A MASSIVE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE OVER THE AREA. AT THE TIME, 20 KT QUARTERING HEADWINDS WERE FORECAST AT 3000 FT MSL AND 25 KTS AT 6000 FT MSL. FOR MOST OF THE RTE, I PLANNED TO CRUISE AT 2500 FT MSL. I CALCULATED THAT THE TRIP WOULD TAKE 3 HRS. I WOULD HAVE 5 HRS OF FUEL ON BOARD. ON THE DAY OF THE TRIP, BECAUSE OF THE EXCELLENT FORECAST OF THE PREVIOUS NIGHT, I DID NOT RECEIVE ANOTHER FULL BRIEFING, NOR DID I FILE A FLT PLAN. I HAD 1 PAX WITH ME ON THE TRIP. UNKNOWN TO ME, LIGHT WINDS ALOFT WERE ACTUALLY BLOWING CONSIDERABLY AT HIGHER SPDS THAN FORECAST THE PREVIOUS NIGHT. THEY WERE AT 35 KTS AT 3000 FT MSL, AND AT A DIRECT HEADWIND OVER MOST OF MY INTENDED RTE. THE RESULT WAS AN ADDED 35 MINS ENRTE TO MY ACTUAL FLT TIME. I FUELED THE AIRPLANE MYSELF BEFORE THE TRIP. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT FUEL SPILLAGE AT THE BEVERLY ARPT, SO I WAS EXTRA CAUTIOUS ABOUT NOT SPILLING FUEL OVER THE WING. IN THAT EFFORT, I STOPPED SHORT AT FILLING THE TANK, LEAVING OFF PROBABLY 2 GALS PER RIDE. THIS WOULD REDUCE MY ACTUAL FLT ENDURANCE ABOUT 30 MINS BELOW THE 5 HRS ENDURANCE THAT I EXPECTED. I AM A COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE BROKER PROFESSIONALLY. I WORK THROUGHOUT NEW ENGLAND. WHILE ENRTE, I WAS TO OVERFLY 3 PROPERTIES THAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON. BECAUSE I HAD MY CAMERA WITH ME, I DECIDED TO TAKE AERIAL PHOTOS OF EACH OF THESE 3 PROPERTIES. THIS EXPENDED ABOUT 10 MINS OF FUEL AT EACH LOCATION, AND AT HIGHER FUEL BURN RATES BECAUSE OF THE MANEUVERING AND CONSTANT PWR SETTING CHANGES. FURTHERMORE, THIS THREW OFF MY SCHEDULE AS FAR AS MY ANTICIPATED TIMES AT CHKPOINTS. IF I HAD CORRECTED TIMES XING MY CHKPOINTS ENRTE, I WOULD HAVE DETECTED THE HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED HEADWINDS AND MADE THE NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS. WHEN I BECAME EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT MY FUEL SITUATION, I DETERMINED THAT THE JAKE ARNER ARPT WOULD BE THE CLOSEST PAVED STRIP TO MY POS. I HAD THE ARNER ARPT IN SIGHT WHEN THE ENG BEGAN TO SPUTTER DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. I IDENTED A LARGE CLEAR, PLOWED FIELD (1/2 MI SQUARE) ABOUT 1 MI E OF THE ARNER ARPT. BECAUSE OF THE STRONG HEADWIND, I DECIDED THAT I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE THE ARNER ARPT. I COMPLETED MY EMER PRELNDG CHKLIST AND EASILY LANDED THE PLANE IN THE FIELD WITHOUT ANY DAMAGE OR INCIDENT. LATER, AFTER CONSULTING WITH THE LCL POLICE, THE LAND OWNER, AN FAA REP AT ALLENTOWN, AND THE OPERATOR OF THE LCL FBO, I PUT ON 10 GALS OF FUEL AND FLEW OUT (WITHOUT PAX) AND RELOCATED THE AIRPLANE TO THE FBO AT ARNER ARPT. I REFUELED THE AIRPLANE, AND THEN COMPLETED MY FLT TO HAZLETON WITHOUT ANY FURTHER DIFFICULTY. IN RETROSPECT THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS THAT I SHOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY. FIRST, I SHOULD HAVE OBTAINED ANOTHER COMPLETE BRIEFING IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE FLT, AND FILED A FLT PLAN WITH THE FSS. HAD I DONE SO, I WOULD HAVE LEARNED OF THE HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED HEADWINDS, AND MADE THE NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS TO MY EXPECTED TIME ENRTE. SECONDLY, I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN GREATER CARE TO ENSURE THAT THE TANKS WERE COMPLETELY TOPPED OFF DURING THE FUELING PROCESS, AND NOT RELIED UPON THE FULL INDICATIONS OF THE FUEL GAUGES. THIS WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN ABOUT 30 EXTRA MINS OF FLT TIMES. THIRDLY, I SHOULD HAVE EITHER FOREGONE THE AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY EXERCISE, OR AT LEAST TAKEN VERY ACCURATE MEASUREMENTS OF THE TIME EXPENDED SO THAT I COULD HAVE ADJUSTED MY ENRTE TIME BTWN CHKPOINTS. I WILL CERTAINLY BE MORE MINDFUL OF THESE PRECAUTIONS ON MY NEXT XCOUNTRY FLT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.