GA small aircraft fuel exhaustion on night dual cross-country. Off airport landing.

Attributes
ACN	123481
Time
Date	198909
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : dlz
State Reference	OH
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 3000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : cmh
Operator	general aviation : instructional
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft, High Wing, 1 Eng, Fixed Gear
Flight Phase	cruise other
Route In Use	enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	instruction : instructor
Qualification	pilot : cfi pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 650 flight time type : 550
ASRS Report	123481
Person 2
Affiliation	Other
Function	instruction : trainee
Qualification	pilot : student
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	controller : provided flight assist flight crew : declared emergency none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

Aircraft was preflted for night x-country. Student found tanks to be 1/2' from full, and I verified prior to flight. Departed bolton field to port columbus international airport. Discussed the usage of clearance delivery and of flight following, then returned to aircraft, once again verifying fuel (1' from top) and oil (5 qts). Departed cmh en route to mansfield airport with flight following. Did touch and go landing at mansfield and was en route to bolton field. During en route phase aircraft developed engine roughness, at which time cmh was notified of problem and vectors to nearest airport were requested. During vectoring engine once again became rough and intermittent, at which time I took control of the aircraft form student and troubleshot the aircraft. The engine returned to partial power for approximately 15 mins before becoming rough and sparsely pwred, at which time I found an appropriate field to land and committed to landing, after which I conducted a post-flight inspection, and discovered no fuel in tanks and some small dirt particles in left sump. After landing walked to nearby house and notified the highway patrol that all people where safe and no damage had been done to either aircraft, or property. Reports were filed with the highway patrol as an aircraft incident, and statements were taken from both student and me. As to the problem of the aircraft, I have no idea what happened to the additional 2 1/2 hours of fuel which should have been on board.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA FUEL EXHAUSTION ON NIGHT DUAL CROSS-COUNTRY. OFF ARPT LNDG.

Narrative: ACFT WAS PREFLTED FOR NIGHT X-COUNTRY. STUDENT FOUND TANKS TO BE 1/2' FROM FULL, AND I VERIFIED PRIOR TO FLT. DEPARTED BOLTON FIELD TO PORT COLUMBUS INTL ARPT. DISCUSSED THE USAGE OF CLRNC DELIVERY AND OF FLT FOLLOWING, THEN RETURNED TO ACFT, ONCE AGAIN VERIFYING FUEL (1' FROM TOP) AND OIL (5 QTS). DEPARTED CMH ENRTE TO MANSFIELD ARPT WITH FLT FOLLOWING. DID TOUCH AND GO LNDG AT MANSFIELD AND WAS ENRTE TO BOLTON FIELD. DURING ENRTE PHASE ACFT DEVELOPED ENG ROUGHNESS, AT WHICH TIME CMH WAS NOTIFIED OF PROB AND VECTORS TO NEAREST ARPT WERE REQUESTED. DURING VECTORING ENG ONCE AGAIN BECAME ROUGH AND INTERMITTENT, AT WHICH TIME I TOOK CONTROL OF THE ACFT FORM STUDENT AND TROUBLESHOT THE ACFT. THE ENG RETURNED TO PARTIAL PWR FOR APPROX 15 MINS BEFORE BECOMING ROUGH AND SPARSELY PWRED, AT WHICH TIME I FOUND AN APPROPRIATE FIELD TO LAND AND COMMITTED TO LNDG, AFTER WHICH I CONDUCTED A POST-FLT INSPECTION, AND DISCOVERED NO FUEL IN TANKS AND SOME SMALL DIRT PARTICLES IN LEFT SUMP. AFTER LNDG WALKED TO NEARBY HOUSE AND NOTIFIED THE HWY PATROL THAT ALL PEOPLE WHERE SAFE AND NO DAMAGE HAD BEEN DONE TO EITHER ACFT, OR PROPERTY. RPTS WERE FILED WITH THE HWY PATROL AS AN ACFT INCIDENT, AND STATEMENTS WERE TAKEN FROM BOTH STUDENT AND ME. AS TO THE PROB OF THE ACFT, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ADDITIONAL 2 1/2 HRS OF FUEL WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON BOARD.

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.