Narrative:

On monday, 7/91, I filled my small aircraft with fuel. I assisted the lineperson, in the process and had no doubt that the tanks were as full as she could possible get them, fuel already leaking onto the wing. I departed with a passenger and flew to hamilton, oh, landing 2:09, after takeoff, judging by my stopwatch. I reduced the power for the last half the flight to 65% because of a tailwind. The airplane burned 15.0-15.5 gals per hour consistently while running under 70% power, 27.5' and 2400 RPM. The book says the fuel flow should be 90 pounds per hour. I had an additional egt gauge installed which monitors all cylinders. Monitoring that gauge, I increased the fuel flow to an indicated 103-104 pbs per hour which would translate to a burn rate of 16 gph. At newaygo, mi, on wed/july, I again stood by and watched the line person fill the tanks. I was reasonably confident the tanks were close to the top. I flew to hamilton, oh, VFR. In briefing I found I should have no problems at all with the WX. I flew at 70% power and we landed exactly 1:30 mins later. I did not take on any fuel because we parked inconveniently on the grass far from the pumps, and normally I don't have to fill up at less than 4:00 hours flying time, my total time on these tanks being 3:15. The gauges had been unreliable for about 2 months, prior to that time working reasonably well. I had been to two facs in trying to repair them, and was unsuccessful, primarily because the problem was intermittent. The question was were they accurate at the lower levels or not? They seemed to work reasonably well, but I certainly couldn't trust them. After lunch I took off on the left tank, the fullest one. The LORAN had stopped working east of joliet, probably because of poor signal, which was inconvenient, since I was unfamiliar with this territory. Nevertheless, I navigated off joliet on a course just south of rock island direct to fairfield with a fuel stop where convenient, 30 to 45 mins out. At 4500' I switched to the right tank. I continued on for about 5 mins when the right tank ran out of gas. I switched tanks, called approach, and told them I would be landing at illinois valley, knowing the approximately location since I had landed there once before. I probably was 25 mi away but with a strong westerly wind. I tried unicom but got no reply. About 5 mins later I saw the city ahead next to a freeway and could barely make out the position of the airport. A min or two after, while I was in the process of identing the long landing strip as definitely the one I had landed at a little over a yr ago the engine quit. I checked the left gauge and it was still indicating 6-8 gals, did the emergency procedures, and conserved altitude by zooming to 80-90 mph. I continued towards illinois valley until 1000' AGL, when I determined I would not make the airport. I turned base across a golf course, and finding no suitable landing place, chose to land in the field next to it, gear up. I shut the fuel off, master and mags and final approach. After landing I was distraction and forgot to stop my stopwatch. Estimated time from takeoff at clow international to beanfield landing: 30-40 mins. The probably cause was an undetermined excessive use/leakage/quantity of fuel combined with an inaccurate left fuel gauge which indicated a sufficient quantity of fuel until the engine quit.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT PERFORMS AN OFF ARPT LNDG DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION.

Narrative: ON MONDAY, 7/91, I FILLED MY SMA WITH FUEL. I ASSISTED THE LINEPERSON, IN THE PROCESS AND HAD NO DOUBT THAT THE TANKS WERE AS FULL AS SHE COULD POSSIBLE GET THEM, FUEL ALREADY LEAKING ONTO THE WING. I DEPARTED WITH A PAX AND FLEW TO HAMILTON, OH, LNDG 2:09, AFTER TKOF, JUDGING BY MY STOPWATCH. I REDUCED THE PWR FOR THE LAST HALF THE FLT TO 65% BECAUSE OF A TAILWIND. THE AIRPLANE BURNED 15.0-15.5 GALS PER HR CONSISTENTLY WHILE RUNNING UNDER 70% PWR, 27.5' AND 2400 RPM. THE BOOK SAYS THE FUEL FLOW SHOULD BE 90 LBS PER HR. I HAD AN ADDITIONAL EGT GAUGE INSTALLED WHICH MONITORS ALL CYLINDERS. MONITORING THAT GAUGE, I INCREASED THE FUEL FLOW TO AN INDICATED 103-104 PBS PER HR WHICH WOULD TRANSLATE TO A BURN RATE OF 16 GPH. AT NEWAYGO, MI, ON WED/JULY, I AGAIN STOOD BY AND WATCHED THE LINE PERSON FILL THE TANKS. I WAS REASONABLY CONFIDENT THE TANKS WERE CLOSE TO THE TOP. I FLEW TO HAMILTON, OH, VFR. IN BRIEFING I FOUND I SHOULD HAVE NO PROBS AT ALL WITH THE WX. I FLEW AT 70% PWR AND WE LANDED EXACTLY 1:30 MINS LATER. I DID NOT TAKE ON ANY FUEL BECAUSE WE PARKED INCONVENIENTLY ON THE GRASS FAR FROM THE PUMPS, AND NORMALLY I DON'T HAVE TO FILL UP AT LESS THAN 4:00 HRS FLYING TIME, MY TOTAL TIME ON THESE TANKS BEING 3:15. THE GAUGES HAD BEEN UNRELIABLE FOR ABOUT 2 MONTHS, PRIOR TO THAT TIME WORKING REASONABLY WELL. I HAD BEEN TO TWO FACS IN TRYING TO REPAIR THEM, AND WAS UNSUCCESSFUL, PRIMARILY BECAUSE THE PROB WAS INTERMITTENT. THE QUESTION WAS WERE THEY ACCURATE AT THE LOWER LEVELS OR NOT? THEY SEEMED TO WORK REASONABLY WELL, BUT I CERTAINLY COULDN'T TRUST THEM. AFTER LUNCH I TOOK OFF ON THE L TANK, THE FULLEST ONE. THE LORAN HAD STOPPED WORKING E OF JOLIET, PROBABLY BECAUSE OF POOR SIGNAL, WHICH WAS INCONVENIENT, SINCE I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THIS TERRITORY. NEVERTHELESS, I NAVIGATED OFF JOLIET ON A COURSE JUST S OF ROCK ISLAND DIRECT TO FAIRFIELD WITH A FUEL STOP WHERE CONVENIENT, 30 TO 45 MINS OUT. AT 4500' I SWITCHED TO THE R TANK. I CONTINUED ON FOR ABOUT 5 MINS WHEN THE R TANK RAN OUT OF GAS. I SWITCHED TANKS, CALLED APCH, AND TOLD THEM I WOULD BE LNDG AT ILLINOIS VALLEY, KNOWING THE APPROX LOCATION SINCE I HAD LANDED THERE ONCE BEFORE. I PROBABLY WAS 25 MI AWAY BUT WITH A STRONG WESTERLY WIND. I TRIED UNICOM BUT GOT NO REPLY. ABOUT 5 MINS LATER I SAW THE CITY AHEAD NEXT TO A FREEWAY AND COULD BARELY MAKE OUT THE POS OF THE ARPT. A MIN OR TWO AFTER, WHILE I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF IDENTING THE LONG LNDG STRIP AS DEFINITELY THE ONE I HAD LANDED AT A LITTLE OVER A YR AGO THE ENG QUIT. I CHKED THE L GAUGE AND IT WAS STILL INDICATING 6-8 GALS, DID THE EMER PROCS, AND CONSERVED ALT BY ZOOMING TO 80-90 MPH. I CONTINUED TOWARDS ILLINOIS VALLEY UNTIL 1000' AGL, WHEN I DETERMINED I WOULD NOT MAKE THE ARPT. I TURNED BASE ACROSS A GOLF COURSE, AND FINDING NO SUITABLE LNDG PLACE, CHOSE TO LAND IN THE FIELD NEXT TO IT, GEAR UP. I SHUT THE FUEL OFF, MASTER AND MAGS AND FINAL APCH. AFTER LNDG I WAS DISTR AND FORGOT TO STOP MY STOPWATCH. ESTIMATED TIME FROM TKOF AT CLOW INTL TO BEANFIELD LNDG: 30-40 MINS. THE PROBABLY CAUSE WAS AN UNDETERMINED EXCESSIVE USE/LEAKAGE/QUANTITY OF FUEL COMBINED WITH AN INACCURATE L FUEL GAUGE WHICH INDICATED A SUFFICIENT QUANTITY OF FUEL UNTIL THE ENG QUIT.

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.