Narrative:

Route of flight: lck to akr. Distance: 125 NM. Wind: (tailwind) 9-12 KTS. Ete: 55 mins. Fuel onboard: 16 gals. Normal fuel consumption: 7.0-8.8 gph. 16 gals at 9 gph = 1.78 hours fuel on board. Fuel distribution: 12 gals left, 5 gals right. Takeoff and climb on left tank (10 mins), cruise on right tank till empty (15 mins, switched back to left tank till engine began to run rough 10 mins later. Emergency checklist performed. Cancelled IFR after encountering FMC and good ground contact shortly thereafter. Engine ran poorly and ATC at cak was advised that I would need an alternate airport. After determining that wayne county and cak were too far, cak gave me vectors to martin field, the engine ran normal for about 1 mi, then began to run poorly again, and the aircraft started loosing altitude. Cak was counting down mi to martin field. At 3 mi out, I spotted a large pasture. At 2 1/2 mi I was over the pasture. The engine sputtered again. At about 900' AGL and not able to maintain altitude, I decided to land in the pasture rather than risk complete engine failure over the 2 mi of trees ahead. The pasture was unoccupied but hilly. No damage, no injuries. The small aircraft came to rest slightly, nose high and very left wing low on the sloping terrain. There appeared to be some fuel remaining in the left tank. The FAA refused to let us move the aircraft, so there was no way to determine the amount of fuel. The owner came, inspected the aircraft, put fuel in and had another pilot do a run-up and flew the plane to akr while I was at cak tower. Corrective actions: 1) 5 more gals at lck would have helped. 2) I could have tried to circle the pasture and try to gain altitude. 3) a dipstick might have increased the accuracy of preflight fuel check. (I thought it unusual that the gauges read exactly what the fuel level looked like, especially at those lower levels. My passenger saw it also during preflight.)

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA OFF ARPT LNDG DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION.

Narrative: RTE OF FLT: LCK TO AKR. DISTANCE: 125 NM. WIND: (TAILWIND) 9-12 KTS. ETE: 55 MINS. FUEL ONBOARD: 16 GALS. NORMAL FUEL CONSUMPTION: 7.0-8.8 GPH. 16 GALS AT 9 GPH = 1.78 HRS FUEL ON BOARD. FUEL DISTRIBUTION: 12 GALS LEFT, 5 GALS RIGHT. TKOF AND CLB ON LEFT TANK (10 MINS), CRUISE ON RIGHT TANK TILL EMPTY (15 MINS, SWITCHED BACK TO LEFT TANK TILL ENG BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH 10 MINS LATER. EMER CHKLIST PERFORMED. CANCELLED IFR AFTER ENCOUNTERING FMC AND GOOD GND CONTACT SHORTLY THEREAFTER. ENG RAN POORLY AND ATC AT CAK WAS ADVISED THAT I WOULD NEED AN ALTERNATE ARPT. AFTER DETERMINING THAT WAYNE COUNTY AND CAK WERE TOO FAR, CAK GAVE ME VECTORS TO MARTIN FIELD, THE ENG RAN NORMAL FOR ABOUT 1 MI, THEN BEGAN TO RUN POORLY AGAIN, AND THE ACFT STARTED LOOSING ALT. CAK WAS COUNTING DOWN MI TO MARTIN FIELD. AT 3 MI OUT, I SPOTTED A LARGE PASTURE. AT 2 1/2 MI I WAS OVER THE PASTURE. THE ENG SPUTTERED AGAIN. AT ABOUT 900' AGL AND NOT ABLE TO MAINTAIN ALT, I DECIDED TO LAND IN THE PASTURE RATHER THAN RISK COMPLETE ENG FAILURE OVER THE 2 MI OF TREES AHEAD. THE PASTURE WAS UNOCCUPIED BUT HILLY. NO DAMAGE, NO INJURIES. THE SMA CAME TO REST SLIGHTLY, NOSE HIGH AND VERY LEFT WING LOW ON THE SLOPING TERRAIN. THERE APPEARED TO BE SOME FUEL REMAINING IN THE LEFT TANK. THE FAA REFUSED TO LET US MOVE THE ACFT, SO THERE WAS NO WAY TO DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF FUEL. THE OWNER CAME, INSPECTED THE ACFT, PUT FUEL IN AND HAD ANOTHER PLT DO A RUN-UP AND FLEW THE PLANE TO AKR WHILE I WAS AT CAK TWR. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: 1) 5 MORE GALS AT LCK WOULD HAVE HELPED. 2) I COULD HAVE TRIED TO CIRCLE THE PASTURE AND TRY TO GAIN ALT. 3) A DIPSTICK MIGHT HAVE INCREASED THE ACCURACY OF PREFLT FUEL CHK. (I THOUGHT IT UNUSUAL THAT THE GAUGES READ EXACTLY WHAT THE FUEL LEVEL LOOKED LIKE, ESPECIALLY AT THOSE LOWER LEVELS. MY PAX SAW IT ALSO DURING PREFLT.)

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.