Narrative:

I was new to this airplane, I had flown it about 20 hours and I was familiar with its flight characteristics but not completely with its system. I was flying from albuquerque to tulsa riverside airport on an IFR flight plan. The system on this airplane were very easy to understand though, which lulled me into complacency. En route from albuquerque I spent much of the flight fiddling with the LORAN. I had the autoplt on and was flying VOR navigation, so I felt I had plenty of time to concentrate on the LORAN. I had the radar on the entire flight. About 1 hour out of albuquerque I remember that I had switched to the auxiliary tanks. Nearing the tulsa, ok, area about 50 mi out kansas city center dropped me down to 7000 ft. Radar indicated nothing in front of me so I continued to work with the LORAN. Then all of a sudden I was in IMC. Ten seconds later the turbulence started, then the lightning. It didn't last long and it must have been a very small cell, but it lasted long enough to deviate my attention from the LORAN to handling the airplane. I asked center for lower, they agreed, then I asked to go off frequency for a min to contact the FBO, when my right engine failed. I saw the right side fuel flow skyrocket. My reaction was that I had a broken fuel line. The thought never even entered my mind that I had run out of fuel. I was still in the WX, and I was convinced I had a broken fuel line. But, before I feathered the engine IMC I wanted to make sure I wasn't having power fluctuations so I troubleshot the engine, as I was just about to feather the now windmilling propeller when I broke out into VFR/VMC. Then the left engine began to run rough. It was obvious what had happened. Quickly I switched back to the main tanks and both engines began to hum back to life. During all the frantic happenings with the WX and the engine out I had called center and declared an emergency. I was simply overloaded with problems. As soon as I realized what had really happened I cancelled my emergency with center and they handed me over to approach. Approach wanted to reconfirm with me that I didn't want to go to tulsa international and that I had cancelled my emergency. I confirmed both points. I just wanted to get on the ground. My heart was still racing and I was totally out of the loop. Approach told me to descend and maintain 2500 ft. I began down and could not make out the airport. Approach called out its location but I still couldn't make it out. As I passed through 2100 ft approach reminded me of my altitude clearance, I climbed back up. It was at this point the controller who was working riverside tower increased the runway light intensity, I confirmed the airport was in sight and I was cleared for the visual. I learned several things. The most important of which was not to let any one thing occupy your attention so much that you lose sight of everything else.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMT HAD AN ENG QUIT INFLT DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION ON THE AUX TANK. CHANGED TANKS AND RESTORED ENG PWR.

Narrative: I WAS NEW TO THIS AIRPLANE, I HAD FLOWN IT ABOUT 20 HRS AND I WAS FAMILIAR WITH ITS FLT CHARACTERISTICS BUT NOT COMPLETELY WITH ITS SYS. I WAS FLYING FROM ALBUQUERQUE TO TULSA RIVERSIDE ARPT ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. THE SYS ON THIS AIRPLANE WERE VERY EASY TO UNDERSTAND THOUGH, WHICH LULLED ME INTO COMPLACENCY. ENRTE FROM ALBUQUERQUE I SPENT MUCH OF THE FLT FIDDLING WITH THE LORAN. I HAD THE AUTOPLT ON AND WAS FLYING VOR NAV, SO I FELT I HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO CONCENTRATE ON THE LORAN. I HAD THE RADAR ON THE ENTIRE FLT. ABOUT 1 HR OUT OF ALBUQUERQUE I REMEMBER THAT I HAD SWITCHED TO THE AUX TANKS. NEARING THE TULSA, OK, AREA ABOUT 50 MI OUT KANSAS CITY CENTER DROPPED ME DOWN TO 7000 FT. RADAR INDICATED NOTHING IN FRONT OF ME SO I CONTINUED TO WORK WITH THE LORAN. THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I WAS IN IMC. TEN SECONDS LATER THE TURB STARTED, THEN THE LIGHTNING. IT DIDN'T LAST LONG AND IT MUST HAVE BEEN A VERY SMALL CELL, BUT IT LASTED LONG ENOUGH TO DEVIATE MY ATTN FROM THE LORAN TO HANDLING THE AIRPLANE. I ASKED CENTER FOR LOWER, THEY AGREED, THEN I ASKED TO GO OFF FREQ FOR A MIN TO CONTACT THE FBO, WHEN MY R ENG FAILED. I SAW THE R SIDE FUEL FLOW SKYROCKET. MY REACTION WAS THAT I HAD A BROKEN FUEL LINE. THE THOUGHT NEVER EVEN ENTERED MY MIND THAT I HAD RUN OUT OF FUEL. I WAS STILL IN THE WX, AND I WAS CONVINCED I HAD A BROKEN FUEL LINE. BUT, BEFORE I FEATHERED THE ENG IMC I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I WASN'T HAVING PWR FLUCTUATIONS SO I TROUBLESHOT THE ENG, AS I WAS JUST ABOUT TO FEATHER THE NOW WINDMILLING PROP WHEN I BROKE OUT INTO VFR/VMC. THEN THE L ENG BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH. IT WAS OBVIOUS WHAT HAD HAPPENED. QUICKLY I SWITCHED BACK TO THE MAIN TANKS AND BOTH ENGS BEGAN TO HUM BACK TO LIFE. DURING ALL THE FRANTIC HAPPENINGS WITH THE WX AND THE ENG OUT I HAD CALLED CENTER AND DECLARED AN EMER. I WAS SIMPLY OVERLOADED WITH PROBLEMS. AS SOON AS I REALIZED WHAT HAD REALLY HAPPENED I CANCELLED MY EMER WITH CENTER AND THEY HANDED ME OVER TO APCH. APCH WANTED TO RECONFIRM WITH ME THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO GO TO TULSA INTL AND THAT I HAD CANCELLED MY EMER. I CONFIRMED BOTH POINTS. I JUST WANTED TO GET ON THE GND. MY HEART WAS STILL RACING AND I WAS TOTALLY OUT OF THE LOOP. APCH TOLD ME TO DSND AND MAINTAIN 2500 FT. I BEGAN DOWN AND COULD NOT MAKE OUT THE ARPT. APCH CALLED OUT ITS LOCATION BUT I STILL COULDN'T MAKE IT OUT. AS I PASSED THROUGH 2100 FT APCH REMINDED ME OF MY ALT CLRNC, I CLBED BACK UP. IT WAS AT THIS POINT THE CTLR WHO WAS WORKING RIVERSIDE TWR INCREASED THE RWY LIGHT INTENSITY, I CONFIRMED THE ARPT WAS IN SIGHT AND I WAS CLRED FOR THE VISUAL. I LEARNED SEVERAL THINGS. THE MOST IMPORTANT OF WHICH WAS NOT TO LET ANY ONE THING OCCUPY YOUR ATTN SO MUCH THAT YOU LOSE SIGHT OF EVERYTHING ELSE.

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.