Narrative:

I received an update briefing after my arrival at alb, and another briefing before leaving alb. The briefings indicated IFR conditions, but ceilings and visibility well above the minima for my home airport. The briefings also indicated a chance of thunderstorms in the vicinity, but since the aircraft had radar on board, I felt I could navigation around any cells. I planned a route which would take me fairly direct from alb to blm, entirely on victor arwys. I asked the FSS briefer how I could get the flow control computer to give me the routing I asked for, and he suggested I file for 8000' and specify 'no overwater' (to avoid the circuitous route over the long island sound I received on my flight from blm to alb). I agreed with his recommendation, and filed teb as my alternate. I elected not to fuel up at alb--the tanks on the aircraft hold at least 6:30 fuel, and I calculated the flight to take 1:40 to blm, and 20 mins to teb. I also calculated that I had 3:10 of fuel remaining after my flight from blm-alb--a 25 min additional reserve. However, when I received my clearance, I found I had been rted again in a circuitous route--this time to the west. In hindsight, I should have requested fuel at that point; however, I still had legal IFR reserves. After takeoff, I was in and out of IMC. Near avp, I entered IMC and stayed in that condition for what turned out to be the rest of the flight. The aircraft radar showed activity, but it indicated it was not near my route of flight. As I was handed off to phl approach control, I heard a few aircraft reporting missed approachs into pne. However, I also heard other aircraft report that the ceiling was 600' at ttn, about 20 NM from blm. I decided not to ask to leave the busy frequency to contact flight watch, since conditions at ttn were higher than the minima at blm (which does not have WX reporting). After descending to MDA for the VOR-a at blm, I did not have the airport in sight and executed the missed approach. I asked the approach controller (wri approach) whether they had any information on a new localizer approach at blm (with lower minima than the VOR-a)--the new approach had been scheduled to be commissioned around that date. When wri approach did not know of it, I requested my alternate, teb. Wri approach told me, 'teb just shut down.' (note: I later checked the special advisories for teb and they showed teb had E5OVC, well above minima.) wri approach then volunteered that N44, which has an ILS, looked 'pretty good' on radar. Accepted vectors for N44. As I started the approach, a cell moved overhead. We were in moderate turbulence, but I was still in full control of the aircraft. At DH, I found that a few lights were visible through fog and rain, but it was not possible to land. After I executed the missed approach, wri approach informed me that acy was landing aircraft, but they were having a lot of difficulty. I then declared minimum fuel. Wri approach then vectored me for mcguire AFB and gave me a CAT ii ILS. (Neither I nor my aircraft is certified for CAT ii.) I landed at wri uneventfully. After landing, I calculated that I had 14.5 gals of fuel remaining--slightly over an hour. However, this was distributed among 4 tanks--which meant that I would have had to be constantly switching tanks during an approach when I would want my full attention on the INS. I feel I made the right decision here, rather than running a tank dry at low altitude and not being able to restart the engine in time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA DECLARED A LOW FUEL EMERGENCY BEFORE APCH TO WRI. POSTFLT INSPECTION REVEALED MORE THAN 1 HOUR FUEL REMAINING.

Narrative: I RECEIVED AN UPDATE BRIEFING AFTER MY ARR AT ALB, AND ANOTHER BRIEFING BEFORE LEAVING ALB. THE BRIEFINGS INDICATED IFR CONDITIONS, BUT CEILINGS AND VISIBILITY WELL ABOVE THE MINIMA FOR MY HOME ARPT. THE BRIEFINGS ALSO INDICATED A CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE VICINITY, BUT SINCE THE ACFT HAD RADAR ON BOARD, I FELT I COULD NAV AROUND ANY CELLS. I PLANNED A RTE WHICH WOULD TAKE ME FAIRLY DIRECT FROM ALB TO BLM, ENTIRELY ON VICTOR ARWYS. I ASKED THE FSS BRIEFER HOW I COULD GET THE FLOW CTL COMPUTER TO GIVE ME THE RTING I ASKED FOR, AND HE SUGGESTED I FILE FOR 8000' AND SPECIFY 'NO OVERWATER' (TO AVOID THE CIRCUITOUS RTE OVER THE LONG ISLAND SOUND I RECEIVED ON MY FLT FROM BLM TO ALB). I AGREED WITH HIS RECOMMENDATION, AND FILED TEB AS MY ALTERNATE. I ELECTED NOT TO FUEL UP AT ALB--THE TANKS ON THE ACFT HOLD AT LEAST 6:30 FUEL, AND I CALCULATED THE FLT TO TAKE 1:40 TO BLM, AND 20 MINS TO TEB. I ALSO CALCULATED THAT I HAD 3:10 OF FUEL REMAINING AFTER MY FLT FROM BLM-ALB--A 25 MIN ADDITIONAL RESERVE. HOWEVER, WHEN I RECEIVED MY CLRNC, I FOUND I HAD BEEN RTED AGAIN IN A CIRCUITOUS RTE--THIS TIME TO THE W. IN HINDSIGHT, I SHOULD HAVE REQUESTED FUEL AT THAT POINT; HOWEVER, I STILL HAD LEGAL IFR RESERVES. AFTER TKOF, I WAS IN AND OUT OF IMC. NEAR AVP, I ENTERED IMC AND STAYED IN THAT CONDITION FOR WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE THE REST OF THE FLT. THE ACFT RADAR SHOWED ACTIVITY, BUT IT INDICATED IT WAS NOT NEAR MY RTE OF FLT. AS I WAS HANDED OFF TO PHL APCH CTL, I HEARD A FEW ACFT RPTING MISSED APCHS INTO PNE. HOWEVER, I ALSO HEARD OTHER ACFT RPT THAT THE CEILING WAS 600' AT TTN, ABOUT 20 NM FROM BLM. I DECIDED NOT TO ASK TO LEAVE THE BUSY FREQ TO CONTACT FLT WATCH, SINCE CONDITIONS AT TTN WERE HIGHER THAN THE MINIMA AT BLM (WHICH DOES NOT HAVE WX RPTING). AFTER DSNDING TO MDA FOR THE VOR-A AT BLM, I DID NOT HAVE THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND EXECUTED THE MISSED APCH. I ASKED THE APCH CTLR (WRI APCH) WHETHER THEY HAD ANY INFO ON A NEW LOC APCH AT BLM (WITH LOWER MINIMA THAN THE VOR-A)--THE NEW APCH HAD BEEN SCHEDULED TO BE COMMISSIONED AROUND THAT DATE. WHEN WRI APCH DID NOT KNOW OF IT, I REQUESTED MY ALTERNATE, TEB. WRI APCH TOLD ME, 'TEB JUST SHUT DOWN.' (NOTE: I LATER CHKED THE SPECIAL ADVISORIES FOR TEB AND THEY SHOWED TEB HAD E5OVC, WELL ABOVE MINIMA.) WRI APCH THEN VOLUNTEERED THAT N44, WHICH HAS AN ILS, LOOKED 'PRETTY GOOD' ON RADAR. ACCEPTED VECTORS FOR N44. AS I STARTED THE APCH, A CELL MOVED OVERHEAD. WE WERE IN MODERATE TURB, BUT I WAS STILL IN FULL CTL OF THE ACFT. AT DH, I FOUND THAT A FEW LIGHTS WERE VISIBLE THROUGH FOG AND RAIN, BUT IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO LAND. AFTER I EXECUTED THE MISSED APCH, WRI APCH INFORMED ME THAT ACY WAS LNDG ACFT, BUT THEY WERE HAVING A LOT OF DIFFICULTY. I THEN DECLARED MINIMUM FUEL. WRI APCH THEN VECTORED ME FOR MCGUIRE AFB AND GAVE ME A CAT II ILS. (NEITHER I NOR MY ACFT IS CERTIFIED FOR CAT II.) I LANDED AT WRI UNEVENTFULLY. AFTER LNDG, I CALCULATED THAT I HAD 14.5 GALS OF FUEL REMAINING--SLIGHTLY OVER AN HR. HOWEVER, THIS WAS DISTRIBUTED AMONG 4 TANKS--WHICH MEANT THAT I WOULD HAVE HAD TO BE CONSTANTLY SWITCHING TANKS DURING AN APCH WHEN I WOULD WANT MY FULL ATTN ON THE INS. I FEEL I MADE THE RIGHT DECISION HERE, RATHER THAN RUNNING A TANK DRY AT LOW ALT AND NOT BEING ABLE TO RESTART THE ENG IN TIME.

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.