C150 pilot experiences engine failure on a sightseeing flight and lands safely on a highway. Post fl...

Attributes
ACN	1101717
Time
Date	201307
Local Time Of Day	1801-2400
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Dusk
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Cessna 150
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Cruise
Route In Use	Direct
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Function	Pilot Flying Single Pilot
Qualification	Flight Crew Private
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 43 Flight Crew Total 712 Flight Crew Type 345
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue

Narrative:

We were on a late afternoon sightseeing flight when the engine sputtered and then suddenly quit. I pulled carb heat. [I] looked at the fuel gauge to verify that we had plenty of fuel. [I] tried to restart the plane to no avail. Contacted tower and announced that I had an incident and was going to land on the highway. I scanned the highway for the best place to set it down and safely landed. The airplane was not damaged and no one was injured. We met the FAA two days later and they examined the aircraft. They acknowledged that the fuel gauge showed plenty of fuel on board but after further examination it had run out of fuel. The fuel gauge had failed and I had relied too much on it. I usually am careful to time out my fuel and scan the gauges. To prevent this from happening in the future I am replacing the gauge. Also; I'll always top off the aircraft before flying; visually check it and rely on my watch to accurately manage fuel use.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C150 pilot experiences engine failure on a sightseeing flight and lands safely on a highway. Post flight revealed that the fuel tanks were empty although the fuel gauges showed plenty of fuel.

Narrative: We were on a late afternoon sightseeing flight when the engine sputtered and then suddenly quit. I pulled carb heat. [I] looked at the fuel gauge to verify that we had plenty of fuel. [I] tried to restart the plane to no avail. Contacted Tower and announced that I had an incident and was going to land on the highway. I scanned the highway for the best place to set it down and safely landed. The airplane was not damaged and no one was injured. We met the FAA two days later and they examined the aircraft. They acknowledged that the fuel gauge showed plenty of fuel on board but after further examination it had run out of fuel. The fuel gauge had failed and I had relied too much on it. I usually am careful to time out my fuel and scan the gauges. To prevent this from happening in the future I am replacing the gauge. Also; I'll always top off the aircraft before flying; visually check it and rely on my watch to accurately manage fuel use.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 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.