Ryan navion pilot reported a simplified check of fuel quantity on board prior to takeoff. While in t...

Narrative:

My plane had not been flown in 90 days due to an avionics issue and then work conflicts; a vacation; and a family illness. My plane is in a hanger; which during this period is very hot and humid. Temperatures in the hangar can exceed 100 degrees fahrenheit. Since it had been a while since my last flight I did a slow and what I consider a very through preflight including a visual inspection of the fuel in the mains. The level appeared to be correct; but I did not stick the tank. Based on the last fueling and flight logs as well as the fuel totalizer quantity shown on my certified panel mount GPS there should have been 33 gallons in the main tank. Even at aggressive burn rates this should have been 2 hours to empty. I planned to fly for no more than 1 hour. From start up to shut down was 1.2 hours.I departed and flew 25 NM and did 1 full stop. I operated the engine at low fuel flow and thus lower airspeeds since I was just getting some landings in. After; I did another full stop at [an airport 35NM away]. In route I also used low power settings and noticed the main tank fuel gage was bouncing a bit more than normal. After [my full stop landing] I proceeded 30 NM back to [my home airport]. I contacted the tower at 10 miles south and was instructed to report a mid-field left downwind for runway 23. Winds were 280 at 8. I always keep my patterns tight. I entered mid field at 1;100 feet AGL and was cleared to land 23. I dropped the gear and set the flaps at approach. I was indicating 100 mph. I reduced power and began a decent for my base turn. The engine began running rough and then quit. I shoved the mixture and throttle forward and turned on the boost pump. The engine is a; IO520 continental. The engine surged and then quite. I had already turned toward the numbers and was managing airspeed and sink rate while attempting a restart using the low boost and the starter. No go.I was able to make a normal power off landing. After touch down I told the tower I had no power and needed to exit the runway as soon as practical. He cleared me to any taxiway and said to take my time since no one was behind me. He asked if I thought I would clear the safety zone and I said don't know. I made the next turn and rolled to; but not fully across the line. I reported this to the tower and requested a tow. After reaching the hanger and doing another restart attempt and post flight inspection I fueled the plane; 39.9 gallons into a 40 gallon tank. By all reason there should have been a minimum of 13 gallons remaining.where did it go? Could evaporation from 90 days of high temperatures and heat cycles been the cause? Probably a contributor. I did not observe any fuel staining on the hanger floor during my preflight that would have indicated a leak. We will be doing a full fuel system check prior to any future flights.there are several lessons here.1- if a plane has been sitting for more than a couple of weeks top it off prior to any flight.2- always stick the tank on a preflight.3- if something does not seem right; the bouncing fuel gage; it probably is not.4- always fly a close pattern.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Ryan Navion pilot reported a simplified check of fuel quantity on board prior to takeoff. While in the landing pattern on short final; the engine quit due to fuel starvation. The pilot made a successful power off landing on the active runway.

Narrative: My plane had not been flown in 90 days due to an avionics issue and then work conflicts; a vacation; and a family illness. My plane is in a hanger; which during this period is very hot and humid. Temperatures in the hangar can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Since it had been a while since my last flight I did a slow and what I consider a very through preflight including a visual inspection of the fuel in the mains. The level appeared to be correct; but I did not stick the tank. Based on the last fueling and flight logs as well as the fuel totalizer quantity shown on my certified panel mount GPS there should have been 33 gallons in the main tank. Even at aggressive burn rates this should have been 2 hours to empty. I planned to fly for no more than 1 hour. From start up to shut down was 1.2 hours.I departed and flew 25 NM and did 1 full stop. I operated the engine at low fuel flow and thus lower airspeeds since I was just getting some landings in. After; I did another full stop at [an airport 35NM away]. In route I also used low power settings and noticed the main tank fuel gage was bouncing a bit more than normal. After [my full stop landing] I proceeded 30 NM back to [my home airport]. I contacted the Tower at 10 miles south and was instructed to report a mid-field left downwind for Runway 23. Winds were 280 at 8. I always keep my patterns tight. I entered mid field at 1;100 feet AGL and was cleared to land 23. I dropped the gear and set the flaps at approach. I was indicating 100 MPH. I reduced power and began a decent for my base turn. The engine began running rough and then quit. I shoved the mixture and throttle forward and turned on the boost pump. The engine is a; IO520 continental. The engine surged and then quite. I had already turned toward the numbers and was managing airspeed and sink rate while attempting a restart using the low boost and the starter. No go.I was able to make a normal power off landing. After touch down I told the Tower I had no power and needed to exit the runway as soon as practical. He cleared me to any taxiway and said to take my time since no one was behind me. He asked if I thought I would clear the safety zone and I said don't know. I made the next turn and rolled to; but not fully across the line. I reported this to the tower and requested a tow. After reaching the hanger and doing another restart attempt and post flight inspection I fueled the plane; 39.9 gallons into a 40 gallon tank. By all reason there should have been a minimum of 13 gallons remaining.Where did it go? Could evaporation from 90 days of high temperatures and heat cycles been the cause? Probably a contributor. I did not observe any fuel staining on the hanger floor during my preflight that would have indicated a leak. We will be doing a full fuel system check prior to any future flights.There are several lessons here.1- If a plane has been sitting for more than a couple of weeks top it off prior to any flight.2- Always stick the tank on a preflight.3- If something does not seem right; the bouncing fuel gage; it probably is not.4- Always fly a close pattern.

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.

Attributes
ACN	1390126
Time
Date	201609
Local Time Of Day	1201-1800
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Navion
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Final Approach
Route In Use	Direct
Flight Plan	None
Component
Aircraft Component	Engine
Person 1
Function	Pilot Flying Single Pilot
Qualification	Flight Crew Instrument
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 1 Flight Crew Total 1714 Flight Crew Type 1596
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue

Ryan navion pilot reported a simplified check of fuel quantity on board prior to takeoff. While in the landing pattern on short final; the engine quit due to fuel starvation. The pilot made a successful power off landing on the active runway.