The pilot of a PA-38 reported fuel exhaustion during taxi after a flight time longer than planned. T...

Attributes
ACN	1332719
Time
Date	201602
Local Time Of Day	0601-1200
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	PA-38 Tomahawk
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Taxi
Route In Use	Direct
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Function	Pilot Flying Single Pilot
Qualification	Flight Crew Private
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 36 Flight Crew Total 111 Flight Crew Type 111
Events
Anomaly	Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Deviation - Procedural FAR Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue

Narrative:

My flight lesson required a long distance cross country (250 NM from departure). I left with 24 gallons. I calculated a 3 hour flight with 4 hours of fuel. My calculations were off because I had to switch tanks after the engine stopped on the right tank 15 NM away from [destination airport]. After touchdown; during the taxi to the fuel pumps my engine stopped on the left tank. I didn't divert to a closer airport when the fuel gauges were low because the lesson required 250 NM without stopping from the point of departure. This was a dangerous learning lesson and I am thankful no one was hurt by this mistake; I'm safe; and the aircraft is not damaged. Diverting to a closer airport would have been the safest choice after seeing the gauges low. Also slower than estimated enroute checkpoint times should have contributed to a decision to stop and fuel.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: The pilot of a PA-38 reported fuel exhaustion during taxi after a flight time longer than planned. The pilot was hesitant to land early with low fuel indication due to the need for a 250 NM flight leg.

Narrative: My flight lesson required a long distance Cross Country (250 NM from departure). I left with 24 gallons. I calculated a 3 hour flight with 4 hours of fuel. My calculations were off because I had to switch tanks after the engine stopped on the right tank 15 NM away from [destination airport]. After touchdown; during the taxi to the fuel pumps my engine stopped on the left tank. I didn't divert to a closer airport when the fuel gauges were low because the lesson required 250 NM without stopping from the point of departure. This was a dangerous learning lesson and I am thankful no one was hurt by this mistake; I'm safe; and the aircraft is not damaged. Diverting to a closer airport would have been the safest choice after seeing the gauges low. Also slower than estimated enroute checkpoint times should have contributed to a decision to stop and fuel.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.