Narrative:

I am enclosing the details of the events leading to the forced landing of 4/89. I have nearly 200 hours in the small aircraft in which I had to land on the beach due to lack of fuel. When I received my flight training I was taught to never rely on my fuel gauges and initially I timed all of my flts very carefully. During this time I also acquired a familiarity with this particular aircraft and noted that the gauges were always very accurate. This procedure was practiced on every flight, not just the numerous cross country flts that I have to my credit. The day of the incident at the beach I was somewhat preoccupied with the task at hand, which was the taking of photographs. Reaching the gig harbor area, I once again (as has become habit) noted the amount of fuel registering in my tanks as indicated by my gauges. At this time the left tank was in excess of 1/4 full, so based on my past experience with this aircraft, I assumed that I had more than enough fuel to make the short distance to my destination and elected not to land at tacoma industrial airport. Instead I decided to fly to olympia to fuel up and continue with my photo assignment which was in olympia in the immediate vicinity of the airport instead, and much to my surprise, the aircraft ran out of fuel over the longbranch peninsula. I immediately radioed the sea approach and looked for a safe place to land the aircraft. At this time I decided to land the plane on a remote beach at the south tip of the longbranch peninsula. We landed safely and I once again attempted to radio sea approach to inform them of our condition. However, I still did not receive a response. Meanwhile the owner of the aircraft was in the air over kapowsin and heard my attempts to contact sea approach. He then called them himself to apprise them of our condition. Meanwhile 2 fishermen in a small boat arrived after watching the landing and offered assistance. I asked to be taken to zittles marina, which was the closest point at which I could find a phone. I attempted to use the pay phone at the marina store to call and ask for advise as to how to proceed, however I was unable to get calls out due to the fact that the phone was a 'private pay phone.' at this time I felt it became apparent that if I was to incur the least amount of damage possible to the aircraft, it would have to be removed from the beach as soon as possible as the tide was rising rapidly and would soon be under several ft of water. Since I was aware that the plane was approved to run on 80-88 gas, I borrowed 10 gals from the attendant at the marina and went back to the aircraft with the fishermen. Upon arriving at the beach where the plane was at I observed the area and determined that I had at least 1/4 mi of reasonable beach from which to take off. For safety reasons I chose to leave my partner on the beach with the people who had provided us with assistance. At this time the beach was totally vacant and there were no homes in the area. The area was totally undeveloped, so I took off and flew to olympia for fuel. Once I took off I again tried to call sea approach and got no response, so I called olympia tower and informed them I was coming. Once I landed I called the tower on the phone and gave them my name and address. Then I filled the plane up with gas and flew to kapowsin and called the FAA to inform them of exactly what had happened. I then continued in my car, after 'filling it with gas,' to olympia to pick up my partner. I can guarantee you that if my plane ever quits in the air again, it will not be because it is out of fuel! My gas gauge from now on is going to be a stopwatch. I feel very fortunate that I had good flight training in emergency procedures, such as this, and a safe place to land.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMERGENCY LNDG ON BEACH DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION.

Narrative: I AM ENCLOSING THE DETAILS OF THE EVENTS LEADING TO THE FORCED LNDG OF 4/89. I HAVE NEARLY 200 HRS IN THE SMA IN WHICH I HAD TO LAND ON THE BEACH DUE TO LACK OF FUEL. WHEN I RECEIVED MY FLT TRNING I WAS TAUGHT TO NEVER RELY ON MY FUEL GAUGES AND INITIALLY I TIMED ALL OF MY FLTS VERY CAREFULLY. DURING THIS TIME I ALSO ACQUIRED A FAMILIARITY WITH THIS PARTICULAR ACFT AND NOTED THAT THE GAUGES WERE ALWAYS VERY ACCURATE. THIS PROC WAS PRACTICED ON EVERY FLT, NOT JUST THE NUMEROUS CROSS COUNTRY FLTS THAT I HAVE TO MY CREDIT. THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT AT THE BEACH I WAS SOMEWHAT PREOCCUPIED WITH THE TASK AT HAND, WHICH WAS THE TAKING OF PHOTOGRAPHS. REACHING THE GIG HARBOR AREA, I ONCE AGAIN (AS HAS BECOME HABIT) NOTED THE AMOUNT OF FUEL REGISTERING IN MY TANKS AS INDICATED BY MY GAUGES. AT THIS TIME THE LEFT TANK WAS IN EXCESS OF 1/4 FULL, SO BASED ON MY PAST EXPERIENCE WITH THIS ACFT, I ASSUMED THAT I HAD MORE THAN ENOUGH FUEL TO MAKE THE SHORT DISTANCE TO MY DEST AND ELECTED NOT TO LAND AT TACOMA INDUSTRIAL ARPT. INSTEAD I DECIDED TO FLY TO OLYMPIA TO FUEL UP AND CONTINUE WITH MY PHOTO ASSIGNMENT WHICH WAS IN OLYMPIA IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THE ARPT INSTEAD, AND MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, THE ACFT RAN OUT OF FUEL OVER THE LONGBRANCH PENINSULA. I IMMEDIATELY RADIOED THE SEA APCH AND LOOKED FOR A SAFE PLACE TO LAND THE ACFT. AT THIS TIME I DECIDED TO LAND THE PLANE ON A REMOTE BEACH AT THE S TIP OF THE LONGBRANCH PENINSULA. WE LANDED SAFELY AND I ONCE AGAIN ATTEMPTED TO RADIO SEA APCH TO INFORM THEM OF OUR CONDITION. HOWEVER, I STILL DID NOT RECEIVE A RESPONSE. MEANWHILE THE OWNER OF THE ACFT WAS IN THE AIR OVER KAPOWSIN AND HEARD MY ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT SEA APCH. HE THEN CALLED THEM HIMSELF TO APPRISE THEM OF OUR CONDITION. MEANWHILE 2 FISHERMEN IN A SMALL BOAT ARRIVED AFTER WATCHING THE LNDG AND OFFERED ASSISTANCE. I ASKED TO BE TAKEN TO ZITTLES MARINA, WHICH WAS THE CLOSEST POINT AT WHICH I COULD FIND A PHONE. I ATTEMPTED TO USE THE PAY PHONE AT THE MARINA STORE TO CALL AND ASK FOR ADVISE AS TO HOW TO PROCEED, HOWEVER I WAS UNABLE TO GET CALLS OUT DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE PHONE WAS A 'PVT PAY PHONE.' AT THIS TIME I FELT IT BECAME APPARENT THAT IF I WAS TO INCUR THE LEAST AMOUNT OF DAMAGE POSSIBLE TO THE ACFT, IT WOULD HAVE TO BE REMOVED FROM THE BEACH ASAP AS THE TIDE WAS RISING RAPIDLY AND WOULD SOON BE UNDER SEVERAL FT OF WATER. SINCE I WAS AWARE THAT THE PLANE WAS APPROVED TO RUN ON 80-88 GAS, I BORROWED 10 GALS FROM THE ATTENDANT AT THE MARINA AND WENT BACK TO THE ACFT WITH THE FISHERMEN. UPON ARRIVING AT THE BEACH WHERE THE PLANE WAS AT I OBSERVED THE AREA AND DETERMINED THAT I HAD AT LEAST 1/4 MI OF REASONABLE BEACH FROM WHICH TO TAKE OFF. FOR SAFETY REASONS I CHOSE TO LEAVE MY PARTNER ON THE BEACH WITH THE PEOPLE WHO HAD PROVIDED US WITH ASSISTANCE. AT THIS TIME THE BEACH WAS TOTALLY VACANT AND THERE WERE NO HOMES IN THE AREA. THE AREA WAS TOTALLY UNDEVELOPED, SO I TOOK OFF AND FLEW TO OLYMPIA FOR FUEL. ONCE I TOOK OFF I AGAIN TRIED TO CALL SEA APCH AND GOT NO RESPONSE, SO I CALLED OLYMPIA TWR AND INFORMED THEM I WAS COMING. ONCE I LANDED I CALLED THE TWR ON THE PHONE AND GAVE THEM MY NAME AND ADDRESS. THEN I FILLED THE PLANE UP WITH GAS AND FLEW TO KAPOWSIN AND CALLED THE FAA TO INFORM THEM OF EXACTLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I THEN CONTINUED IN MY CAR, AFTER 'FILLING IT WITH GAS,' TO OLYMPIA TO PICK UP MY PARTNER. I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THAT IF MY PLANE EVER QUITS IN THE AIR AGAIN, IT WILL NOT BE BECAUSE IT IS OUT OF FUEL! MY GAS GAUGE FROM NOW ON IS GOING TO BE A STOPWATCH. I FEEL VERY FORTUNATE THAT I HAD GOOD FLT TRNING IN EMER PROCS, SUCH AS THIS, AND A SAFE PLACE TO LAND.

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.