Narrative:

Just after landing on runway 22 at elp, my engine quit. Tower controller had told me to exit on a particular taxiway, but I could not coast that far. I rolled as far as I could toward a closer taxiway and came to a stop completely off the runway proper but not across the hold short line, so I think I was legally still on the runway. I told the controller I would have to restart my engine. He asked if I needed assistance, and I said I did not. I was not aware of anyone having to go around because I was on the runway. I restarted within about 2 mins (the engine was fuel injected and hot), and asked for taxi instructions. The controller said, 'no problem,' told me where to taxi, and to contact the ground controller upon leaving the runway. When I left the runway, I was still flustered and forgot to switch to the ground frequency until I had taxied several hundred ft. Then I switched to the wrong frequency (122.9 instead of 121.9) and did not recognize my mistake for another several hundred ft. Finally I contacted ground control. Throughout all of this, the controllers were courteous and helpful. As soon as the engine quit, I realized what had happened. I had been on final before I remembered to switch to the fullest fuel tank, enrich the mixture and go to high RPM. I turned on the boost pump, switched tanks, and forgot to turn off the boost pump. Then I enriched the mixture a little. I think the combination of the boost pump's being on and the richer mixture setting made the mixture too rich to support combustion and the engine quit as soon as I throttled back to idle. I have been flying a complex airplane for only a month and about 15 hours. There are at least half again as many controls and half again as many dials to worry about as in a simple airplane, and that's before you even consider the retractable landing gear. Second, I have long been suspicious of the practice of always switching to the fullest tank for landing, and I intend to talk to my instrument about it. It seems to me that as long as you are sure you have sufficient fuel in both tanks, then 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it!' should apply. Third, I allowed myself to get flustered, even after the problem was fixed. I should have done what one of my instrs had me do when I got in a hurry, which was to consciously stop, situation still for a few seconds, think, and then proceed. Finally, I think I have to credit the FAA's current enforcement emphasis for causing me to be more concerned about 'screwing up and getting caught' than in proceeding in a safe, orderly fashion.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: REPORTER FLT WAS LATE CONTACTING GND CTL AFTER CLEARING ARR RWY SOLVING MECHANICAL PROBLEM, AND THEN INITIALLY SELECTING WRONG RADIO FREQ. NO CONFLICTS AROSE.

Narrative: JUST AFTER LNDG ON RWY 22 AT ELP, MY ENG QUIT. TWR CTLR HAD TOLD ME TO EXIT ON A PARTICULAR TXWY, BUT I COULD NOT COAST THAT FAR. I ROLLED AS FAR AS I COULD TOWARD A CLOSER TXWY AND CAME TO A STOP COMPLETELY OFF THE RWY PROPER BUT NOT ACROSS THE HOLD SHORT LINE, SO I THINK I WAS LEGALLY STILL ON THE RWY. I TOLD THE CTLR I WOULD HAVE TO RESTART MY ENG. HE ASKED IF I NEEDED ASSISTANCE, AND I SAID I DID NOT. I WAS NOT AWARE OF ANYONE HAVING TO GO AROUND BECAUSE I WAS ON THE RWY. I RESTARTED WITHIN ABOUT 2 MINS (THE ENG WAS FUEL INJECTED AND HOT), AND ASKED FOR TAXI INSTRUCTIONS. THE CTLR SAID, 'NO PROB,' TOLD ME WHERE TO TAXI, AND TO CONTACT THE GND CTLR UPON LEAVING THE RWY. WHEN I LEFT THE RWY, I WAS STILL FLUSTERED AND FORGOT TO SWITCH TO THE GND FREQ UNTIL I HAD TAXIED SEVERAL HUNDRED FT. THEN I SWITCHED TO THE WRONG FREQ (122.9 INSTEAD OF 121.9) AND DID NOT RECOGNIZE MY MISTAKE FOR ANOTHER SEVERAL HUNDRED FT. FINALLY I CONTACTED GND CTL. THROUGHOUT ALL OF THIS, THE CTLRS WERE COURTEOUS AND HELPFUL. AS SOON AS THE ENG QUIT, I REALIZED WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I HAD BEEN ON FINAL BEFORE I REMEMBERED TO SWITCH TO THE FULLEST FUEL TANK, ENRICH THE MIXTURE AND GO TO HIGH RPM. I TURNED ON THE BOOST PUMP, SWITCHED TANKS, AND FORGOT TO TURN OFF THE BOOST PUMP. THEN I ENRICHED THE MIXTURE A LITTLE. I THINK THE COMBINATION OF THE BOOST PUMP'S BEING ON AND THE RICHER MIXTURE SETTING MADE THE MIXTURE TOO RICH TO SUPPORT COMBUSTION AND THE ENG QUIT AS SOON AS I THROTTLED BACK TO IDLE. I HAVE BEEN FLYING A COMPLEX AIRPLANE FOR ONLY A MONTH AND ABOUT 15 HRS. THERE ARE AT LEAST HALF AGAIN AS MANY CTLS AND HALF AGAIN AS MANY DIALS TO WORRY ABOUT AS IN A SIMPLE AIRPLANE, AND THAT'S BEFORE YOU EVEN CONSIDER THE RETRACTABLE LNDG GEAR. SECOND, I HAVE LONG BEEN SUSPICIOUS OF THE PRACTICE OF ALWAYS SWITCHING TO THE FULLEST TANK FOR LNDG, AND I INTEND TO TALK TO MY INSTR ABOUT IT. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT AS LONG AS YOU ARE SURE YOU HAVE SUFFICIENT FUEL IN BOTH TANKS, THEN 'IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT!' SHOULD APPLY. THIRD, I ALLOWED MYSELF TO GET FLUSTERED, EVEN AFTER THE PROB WAS FIXED. I SHOULD HAVE DONE WHAT ONE OF MY INSTRS HAD ME DO WHEN I GOT IN A HURRY, WHICH WAS TO CONSCIOUSLY STOP, SIT STILL FOR A FEW SECS, THINK, AND THEN PROCEED. FINALLY, I THINK I HAVE TO CREDIT THE FAA'S CURRENT ENFORCEMENT EMPHASIS FOR CAUSING ME TO BE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT 'SCREWING UP AND GETTING CAUGHT' THAN IN PROCEEDING IN A SAFE, ORDERLY FASHION.

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.