Narrative:

This statement is in regards to an emergency landing I was forced to make near covington, mi. The landing was made in the dark, on an unlit road, in a very sparsely populated area of the upper peninsula of mi. There were no injuries nor damage to the aircraft or anything on the ground. My wife and I departed mqt enroute to microphone via iwd remaining VFR at 4500' MSL. I had FBO top the fuel tanks off before I left mqt, giving me 48 gallons of usable fuel. My preflight planning using the manuals available at the FBO for preflts showed that the burn rate would be 7.5 gallons per hour for a 3 hour flight both ways for a total of 45 gallons. I knew at the time that this would not be enough to get back with the required 45 mins of reserves. The flight to microphone was uneventful with everything proceeding normally. When I arrived, I told the lineman at FBO that I would need to put 10 gallons of fuel into the plane when I got back. He said that he would put it into the plane while we were gone with some friends. When we got back I paid for the ten gallons and got a receipt. I have no reason to doubt that they put the gas into my plane but unfortunately can't verify it. With the ten gallons in, I recalculated that I would have almost 1 hour and 45 mins of reserve fuel. This was built in to give me some extra if needed. I took off at microphone and cruised at 7500' MSL on the same route back (microphone to mqt via iwd). When I hit iwd I calculated that there still should be enough fuel to make it back to mqt with reserves. Shortly before the engine gave out, I noticed the gauges read as having 2.5 gallons in the left tank and 5 gallons in the right. We ended up .5 hour short of mqt when I had to make an emergency landing. Basically the only area available was an unlit road (M28/US141). First I established that it was a fuel problem, established an 85 KT glide and looked for a place to land. This took all the glide time available. I located the road and circled once to time my landing well behind the one car on the road that was going north. Being with msp center the whole trip helped tremendously because I was able to declare an emergency, squawk 7700, and tell them where I was going to land. About 15 mins after we landed the state police and county sheriff arrived on the scene. The state troopers took my name, license number, and all the aircraft information. Their operations division contacted the FAA and reported to us that their would be no need for an investigation because there were no injuries or damage. We pulled the plane off the main road and then into a field for the night. The next morning I went back to the airport and refigured my preflight data and verified that it was correct. I talked to the owners and he said that he always does his preflight fuel burn rate as 10 gallons per hour despite the fact that the manual lists the burn rate as 7.5 gpm. This is 2 1/2 gallons greater burn rate than what was provided in the manuals. This fact also was never passed on in any form to those that rent the plane. It was just 'experience' or a technique that they use. In my opinion if the burn rate is other than what is published then the owners should inform those who fly that aircraft. That same afternoon when we went out to the plane to refuel it, the first thing I did was to check the hobbs meter to find out the length of time I flew it, and to check the fuel gauges. On the ground the same afternoon with low batteries, the left tank showed fuel on the gauge and the right needle moved but not enough to make much of an effect. (I know the needles will always read lower on the ground because the battery is not charged up fully). Therefore, even though the tanks were dry, the gauges indicated fuel. I now believe that I did nothing wrong. Using the charts and tables available, I did my preflight planning correct. The gauges still showed that there should be fuel available when there wasn't. I was able to put the plane down on an unlit road out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night with no damage to the plane nor damage to anyone/anything on the ground, and there were noinjuries to myself or my passenger. In summary, my preflight planning, which I have again reconfirmed, showed there to be 1.75 hours of reserve fuel; the gauges showed there to be fuel when there was not; it is definitely wise to file a VFR flight plan even though not required; and I would recommend the use of flight following when available (although up here you definitely need a great deal of altitude in order to be able to use this service).

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF SMA MAKEDS EMERGENCY LNDG ON AN UNLIT ROAD AT NIGHT AFTER FUEL EXHAUSTION DUE TO INACCURATE PREFLT PLANNING BASED ON THE FUEL BURN NUMBERS GIVEN IN THE ACFT MANUAL, WHICH WERE APPARENTLY IN ERROR.

Narrative: THIS STATEMENT IS IN REGARDS TO AN EMER LNDG I WAS FORCED TO MAKE NEAR COVINGTON, MI. THE LNDG WAS MADE IN THE DARK, ON AN UNLIT ROAD, IN A VERY SPARSELY POPULATED AREA OF THE UPPER PENINSULA OF MI. THERE WERE NO INJURIES NOR DAMAGE TO THE ACFT OR ANYTHING ON THE GND. MY WIFE AND I DEPARTED MQT ENROUTE TO MIC VIA IWD REMAINING VFR AT 4500' MSL. I HAD FBO TOP THE FUEL TANKS OFF BEFORE I LEFT MQT, GIVING ME 48 GALLONS OF USABLE FUEL. MY PREFLT PLANNING USING THE MANUALS AVAILABLE AT THE FBO FOR PREFLTS SHOWED THAT THE BURN RATE WOULD BE 7.5 GALLONS PER HR FOR A 3 HR FLT BOTH WAYS FOR A TOTAL OF 45 GALLONS. I KNEW AT THE TIME THAT THIS WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH TO GET BACK WITH THE REQUIRED 45 MINS OF RESERVES. THE FLT TO MIC WAS UNEVENTFUL WITH EVERYTHING PROCEEDING NORMALLY. WHEN I ARRIVED, I TOLD THE LINEMAN AT FBO THAT I WOULD NEED TO PUT 10 GALLONS OF FUEL INTO THE PLANE WHEN I GOT BACK. HE SAID THAT HE WOULD PUT IT INTO THE PLANE WHILE WE WERE GONE WITH SOME FRIENDS. WHEN WE GOT BACK I PAID FOR THE TEN GALLONS AND GOT A RECEIPT. I HAVE NO REASON TO DOUBT THAT THEY PUT THE GAS INTO MY PLANE BUT UNFORTUNATELY CAN'T VERIFY IT. WITH THE TEN GALLONS IN, I RECALCULATED THAT I WOULD HAVE ALMOST 1 HR AND 45 MINS OF RESERVE FUEL. THIS WAS BUILT IN TO GIVE ME SOME EXTRA IF NEEDED. I TOOK OFF AT MIC AND CRUISED AT 7500' MSL ON THE SAME RTE BACK (MIC TO MQT VIA IWD). WHEN I HIT IWD I CALCULATED THAT THERE STILL SHOULD BE ENOUGH FUEL TO MAKE IT BACK TO MQT WITH RESERVES. SHORTLY BEFORE THE ENG GAVE OUT, I NOTICED THE GAUGES READ AS HAVING 2.5 GALLONS IN THE L TANK AND 5 GALLONS IN THE R. WE ENDED UP .5 HR SHORT OF MQT WHEN I HAD TO MAKE AN EMER LNDG. BASICALLY THE ONLY AREA AVAILABLE WAS AN UNLIT ROAD (M28/US141). FIRST I ESTABLISHED THAT IT WAS A FUEL PROB, ESTABLISHED AN 85 KT GLIDE AND LOOKED FOR A PLACE TO LAND. THIS TOOK ALL THE GLIDE TIME AVAILABLE. I LOCATED THE ROAD AND CIRCLED ONCE TO TIME MY LNDG WELL BEHIND THE ONE CAR ON THE ROAD THAT WAS GOING N. BEING WITH MSP CTR THE WHOLE TRIP HELPED TREMENDOUSLY BECAUSE I WAS ABLE TO DECLARE AN EMER, SQUAWK 7700, AND TELL THEM WHERE I WAS GOING TO LAND. ABOUT 15 MINS AFTER WE LANDED THE STATE POLICE AND COUNTY SHERIFF ARRIVED ON THE SCENE. THE STATE TROOPERS TOOK MY NAME, LICENSE NUMBER, AND ALL THE ACFT INFO. THEIR OPERATIONS DIVISION CONTACTED THE FAA AND RPTED TO US THAT THEIR WOULD BE NO NEED FOR AN INVESTIGATION BECAUSE THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE. WE PULLED THE PLANE OFF THE MAIN ROAD AND THEN INTO A FIELD FOR THE NIGHT. THE NEXT MORNING I WENT BACK TO THE ARPT AND REFIGURED MY PREFLT DATA AND VERIFIED THAT IT WAS CORRECT. I TALKED TO THE OWNERS AND HE SAID THAT HE ALWAYS DOES HIS PREFLT FUEL BURN RATE AS 10 GALLONS PER HR DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE MANUAL LISTS THE BURN RATE AS 7.5 GPM. THIS IS 2 1/2 GALLONS GREATER BURN RATE THAN WHAT WAS PROVIDED IN THE MANUALS. THIS FACT ALSO WAS NEVER PASSED ON IN ANY FORM TO THOSE THAT RENT THE PLANE. IT WAS JUST 'EXPERIENCE' OR A TECHNIQUE THAT THEY USE. IN MY OPINION IF THE BURN RATE IS OTHER THAN WHAT IS PUBLISHED THEN THE OWNERS SHOULD INFORM THOSE WHO FLY THAT ACFT. THAT SAME AFTERNOON WHEN WE WENT OUT TO THE PLANE TO REFUEL IT, THE FIRST THING I DID WAS TO CHK THE HOBBS METER TO FIND OUT THE LENGTH OF TIME I FLEW IT, AND TO CHK THE FUEL GAUGES. ON THE GND THE SAME AFTERNOON WITH LOW BATTERIES, THE L TANK SHOWED FUEL ON THE GAUGE AND THE R NEEDLE MOVED BUT NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE MUCH OF AN EFFECT. (I KNOW THE NEEDLES WILL ALWAYS READ LOWER ON THE GND BECAUSE THE BATTERY IS NOT CHARGED UP FULLY). THEREFORE, EVEN THOUGH THE TANKS WERE DRY, THE GAUGES INDICATED FUEL. I NOW BELIEVE THAT I DID NOTHING WRONG. USING THE CHARTS AND TABLES AVAILABLE, I DID MY PREFLT PLANNING CORRECT. THE GAUGES STILL SHOWED THAT THERE SHOULD BE FUEL AVAILABLE WHEN THERE WASN'T. I WAS ABLE TO PUT THE PLANE DOWN ON AN UNLIT ROAD OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WITH NO DAMAGE TO THE PLANE NOR DAMAGE TO ANYONE/ANYTHING ON THE GND, AND THERE WERE NOINJURIES TO MYSELF OR MY PAX. IN SUMMARY, MY PREFLT PLANNING, WHICH I HAVE AGAIN RECONFIRMED, SHOWED THERE TO BE 1.75 HRS OF RESERVE FUEL; THE GAUGES SHOWED THERE TO BE FUEL WHEN THERE WAS NOT; IT IS DEFINITELY WISE TO FILE A VFR FLT PLAN EVEN THOUGH NOT REQUIRED; AND I WOULD RECOMMEND THE USE OF FLT FOLLOWING WHEN AVAILABLE (ALTHOUGH UP HERE YOU DEFINITELY NEED A GREAT DEAL OF ALT IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS SVC).

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