Narrative:

After doing a complete preflight I saw that my gas tanks and gauges both rad 1/2 tanks, enough I thought for a 133 NM trip. I departed marshfield on a swesterly heading and climbed ot 2500' for 10-15 mins and then climbed to 4500' for the rest of the trip. As I flew over oxford airport I checked my fuel gauges which read 1/4 tanks, and being that danbury airport is only 10 air mins away I didn't see any need to stop, so I continued. Over the town of newtown which is 10 mi east of danbury, I received clearance to land so I brought the power back to 1900 RPM from 2300 RPM and started to go down. 10-20 seconds later the engine just stopped. I knew I wouldn't be able to glide to dxr so I did a few 'south' turns to look for a place to land as I trimmed it up for best glide speed, also turned transponder on to 7700. That night it was pretty dark, there was no moon and all that I could see that was lit up was a church parking lot with no cars in it, so that's what I went for. After trying over and over to restart it with no luck I turned off the gas valve, all interior lights and left on just the transponder and landing light. I set myself up for the landing and aimed for the medium in the middle of the parking lot which was 5' wide and approximately 150' long. It was filled with woodchips which I at the time thought to be just dirt and thought that it would slow me down. So as I cleared the last tree at the edge of the lot I nosed the plane down and then at the last second pulled back and landed. It bounced once and came to a stop. I turned off the master switch and jumped out of the plane then went to a house nearby to call authorities. The airplane was in pretty good shape. It dented up the cowling and the nose wheel but the next day the FAA started it up and ran it for about 10-15 min. I did this trip over and over again on paper figuring out everything from wind and temperature, airspeed, gndspd, and I still believe with 1/2 tanks, that there was more than enough fuel for the trip, but what's done is done. So I learned that never trust gauges or what appears to be isn't always so. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information. Reporter said there was actually a little fuel left in the tanks but that it was unported with the aircraft in a nose-down attitude. He never got the nose up and this fuel became unavailable for use.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FUEL STARVATION CAUSES SMA TO MAKE FORCED LNDG ON A CHURCH PARKING LOT AT NIGHT.

Narrative: AFTER DOING A COMPLETE PREFLT I SAW THAT MY GAS TANKS AND GAUGES BOTH RAD 1/2 TANKS, ENOUGH I THOUGHT FOR A 133 NM TRIP. I DEPARTED MARSHFIELD ON A SWESTERLY HDG AND CLBED OT 2500' FOR 10-15 MINS AND THEN CLBED TO 4500' FOR THE REST OF THE TRIP. AS I FLEW OVER OXFORD ARPT I CHKED MY FUEL GAUGES WHICH READ 1/4 TANKS, AND BEING THAT DANBURY ARPT IS ONLY 10 AIR MINS AWAY I DIDN'T SEE ANY NEED TO STOP, SO I CONTINUED. OVER THE TOWN OF NEWTOWN WHICH IS 10 MI E OF DANBURY, I RECEIVED CLRNC TO LAND SO I BROUGHT THE PWR BACK TO 1900 RPM FROM 2300 RPM AND STARTED TO GO DOWN. 10-20 SECS LATER THE ENG JUST STOPPED. I KNEW I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GLIDE TO DXR SO I DID A FEW 'S' TURNS TO LOOK FOR A PLACE TO LAND AS I TRIMMED IT UP FOR BEST GLIDE SPD, ALSO TURNED XPONDER ON TO 7700. THAT NIGHT IT WAS PRETTY DARK, THERE WAS NO MOON AND ALL THAT I COULD SEE THAT WAS LIT UP WAS A CHURCH PARKING LOT WITH NO CARS IN IT, SO THAT'S WHAT I WENT FOR. AFTER TRYING OVER AND OVER TO RESTART IT WITH NO LUCK I TURNED OFF THE GAS VALVE, ALL INTERIOR LIGHTS AND LEFT ON JUST THE XPONDER AND LNDG LIGHT. I SET MYSELF UP FOR THE LNDG AND AIMED FOR THE MEDIUM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARKING LOT WHICH WAS 5' WIDE AND APPROX 150' LONG. IT WAS FILLED WITH WOODCHIPS WHICH I AT THE TIME THOUGHT TO BE JUST DIRT AND THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD SLOW ME DOWN. SO AS I CLRED THE LAST TREE AT THE EDGE OF THE LOT I NOSED THE PLANE DOWN AND THEN AT THE LAST SEC PULLED BACK AND LANDED. IT BOUNCED ONCE AND CAME TO A STOP. I TURNED OFF THE MASTER SWITCH AND JUMPED OUT OF THE PLANE THEN WENT TO A HOUSE NEARBY TO CALL AUTHORITIES. THE AIRPLANE WAS IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE. IT DENTED UP THE COWLING AND THE NOSE WHEEL BUT THE NEXT DAY THE FAA STARTED IT UP AND RAN IT FOR ABOUT 10-15 MIN. I DID THIS TRIP OVER AND OVER AGAIN ON PAPER FIGURING OUT EVERYTHING FROM WIND AND TEMP, AIRSPD, GNDSPD, AND I STILL BELIEVE WITH 1/2 TANKS, THAT THERE WAS MORE THAN ENOUGH FUEL FOR THE TRIP, BUT WHAT'S DONE IS DONE. SO I LEARNED THAT NEVER TRUST GAUGES OR WHAT APPEARS TO BE ISN'T ALWAYS SO. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. RPTR SAID THERE WAS ACTUALLY A LITTLE FUEL LEFT IN THE TANKS BUT THAT IT WAS UNPORTED WITH THE ACFT IN A NOSE-DOWN ATTITUDE. HE NEVER GOT THE NOSE UP AND THIS FUEL BECAME UNAVAILABLE FOR USE.

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.