Narrative:

I began the flight from smf the morning of 2/91 and was heading for oklahoma city. Prior to the flight, I received a WX briefing from flight service forecasting general VFR along the route of flight with tailwinds ranging from 35 KTS across nevada and utah, 40 KTS over texas, and 60 KTS over oklahoma. As the flight progressed, the winds were not as forecasted and I encountered steady headwinds along the route. I landed in blanding, ut, with approximately 90 gals of fuel on board. We took on 30 gals of fuel bringing the total to 120 gals. We departed blanding, ut, however, the headwinds increased, and I was forced to climb with full power on two occasions to 16500' to clear both mountains and low clouds. Once clear of the mountains, a quick calculation revealed I had burned more fuel than anticipated. So I planned an early fuel stop at dalhart, tx. My LORAN, an RNAV, indicated 99 NM to dalhart. However, in a descent indicating 195 mph, I still showed 40 NM after 40 mins! Therefore, in the interest of safety, I pressed the 'airport search' button and the LORAN displayed clayton, NM, as the closest airport at 22 NM. I verified this positional fix on the chart and decided to divert clayton. After 10 mins I arrived at clayton, NM. Unfortunately, it was an empty field. Having used this LORAN for approximately 65 hours of flying, I have never found it to be off except for one occasion when going to palatka, fl, it was off by a distance of 3 NM. In addition, I had noted with other LORAN receivers that inaccurate navigational data is accompanied by erratic displays of ground speed and positional data. That was not the case with this unit. All displays were consistent. Therefore, I began flying a slow circle for 5 mins. However, with no airport in sight, and visibilities of about 15 mi, I determined the LORAN to be unreliable. Because I had the VOR tuned to dalhart, I knew what direction to fly, however west/O DME, I had no quick to identify my distance. I then began a flight to dalhart. Fuel reserves were now down to 20 mins. Therefore, I elected to track the paved road I encountered (highway 87) as I flew southwest toward dalhart. When fuel reserves reached 15 mins, and dalhart was not in sight, I felt the only safe action for the crew and passengers was to carefully execute a power on precautionary landing. I first selected what appeared to be an abandoned road or landing strip, however after doing a low pass, as directed by the emergency checklist, it was obvious there were too many obstructions and the landing surface far too rough to execute a safe landing. I then flew up-wind on the road spotting an unobstructed section with very little traffic, I did a low pass and finding the landing surface suitable for a safe landing, executed an emergency landing per the emergency landing checklist. The landing occurred west/O incident. There were no injuries to the crew or passengers and no damage to the aircraft. Once safely on the ground, I taxied the airplane about a mi to preico, tx, where a farmer had ample space to safely remove the aircraft from the road.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA PRECAUTIONARY OFF ARPT LNDG DUE LOSS FUEL REMAINING.

Narrative: I BEGAN THE FLT FROM SMF THE MORNING OF 2/91 AND WAS HDG FOR OKLAHOMA CITY. PRIOR TO THE FLT, I RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING FROM FLT SVC FORECASTING GENERAL VFR ALONG THE RTE OF FLT WITH TAILWINDS RANGING FROM 35 KTS ACROSS NEVADA AND UTAH, 40 KTS OVER TEXAS, AND 60 KTS OVER OKLAHOMA. AS THE FLT PROGRESSED, THE WINDS WERE NOT AS FORECASTED AND I ENCOUNTERED STEADY HEADWINDS ALONG THE RTE. I LANDED IN BLANDING, UT, WITH APPROX 90 GALS OF FUEL ON BOARD. WE TOOK ON 30 GALS OF FUEL BRINGING THE TOTAL TO 120 GALS. WE DEPARTED BLANDING, UT, HOWEVER, THE HEADWINDS INCREASED, AND I WAS FORCED TO CLB WITH FULL PWR ON TWO OCCASIONS TO 16500' TO CLR BOTH MOUNTAINS AND LOW CLOUDS. ONCE CLR OF THE MOUNTAINS, A QUICK CALCULATION REVEALED I HAD BURNED MORE FUEL THAN ANTICIPATED. SO I PLANNED AN EARLY FUEL STOP AT DALHART, TX. MY LORAN, AN RNAV, INDICATED 99 NM TO DALHART. HOWEVER, IN A DSNT INDICATING 195 MPH, I STILL SHOWED 40 NM AFTER 40 MINS! THEREFORE, IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY, I PRESSED THE 'ARPT SEARCH' BUTTON AND THE LORAN DISPLAYED CLAYTON, NM, AS THE CLOSEST ARPT AT 22 NM. I VERIFIED THIS POSITIONAL FIX ON THE CHART AND DECIDED TO DIVERT CLAYTON. AFTER 10 MINS I ARRIVED AT CLAYTON, NM. UNFORTUNATELY, IT WAS AN EMPTY FIELD. HAVING USED THIS LORAN FOR APPROX 65 HRS OF FLYING, I HAVE NEVER FOUND IT TO BE OFF EXCEPT FOR ONE OCCASION WHEN GOING TO PALATKA, FL, IT WAS OFF BY A DISTANCE OF 3 NM. IN ADDITION, I HAD NOTED WITH OTHER LORAN RECEIVERS THAT INACCURATE NAVIGATIONAL DATA IS ACCOMPANIED BY ERRATIC DISPLAYS OF GND SPD AND POSITIONAL DATA. THAT WAS NOT THE CASE WITH THIS UNIT. ALL DISPLAYS WERE CONSISTENT. THEREFORE, I BEGAN FLYING A SLOW CIRCLE FOR 5 MINS. HOWEVER, WITH NO ARPT IN SIGHT, AND VISIBILITIES OF ABOUT 15 MI, I DETERMINED THE LORAN TO BE UNRELIABLE. BECAUSE I HAD THE VOR TUNED TO DALHART, I KNEW WHAT DIRECTION TO FLY, HOWEVER W/O DME, I HAD NO QUICK TO IDENT MY DISTANCE. I THEN BEGAN A FLT TO DALHART. FUEL RESERVES WERE NOW DOWN TO 20 MINS. THEREFORE, I ELECTED TO TRACK THE PAVED ROAD I ENCOUNTERED (HWY 87) AS I FLEW SW TOWARD DALHART. WHEN FUEL RESERVES REACHED 15 MINS, AND DALHART WAS NOT IN SIGHT, I FELT THE ONLY SAFE ACTION FOR THE CREW AND PAXS WAS TO CAREFULLY EXECUTE A PWR ON PRECAUTIONARY LNDG. I FIRST SELECTED WHAT APPEARED TO BE AN ABANDONED ROAD OR LNDG STRIP, HOWEVER AFTER DOING A LOW PASS, AS DIRECTED BY THE EMER CHKLIST, IT WAS OBVIOUS THERE WERE TOO MANY OBSTRUCTIONS AND THE LNDG SURFACE FAR TOO ROUGH TO EXECUTE A SAFE LNDG. I THEN FLEW UP-WIND ON THE ROAD SPOTTING AN UNOBSTRUCTED SECTION WITH VERY LITTLE TFC, I DID A LOW PASS AND FINDING THE LNDG SURFACE SUITABLE FOR A SAFE LNDG, EXECUTED AN EMER LNDG PER THE EMER LNDG CHKLIST. THE LNDG OCCURRED W/O INCIDENT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE CREW OR PAXS AND NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT. ONCE SAFELY ON THE GND, I TAXIED THE AIRPLANE ABOUT A MI TO PREICO, TX, WHERE A FARMER HAD AMPLE SPACE TO SAFELY REMOVE THE ACFT FROM THE ROAD.

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.