Narrative:

I did not recognize the deterioration of my time/fuel remaining in time ro refile to a closer destination. The winds were worse than forecast. Fuel on board ended up about 1 hour short. Flight plan fuel figures were based on mp of 17-19 in hg and 2100-2200 RPM at 12000 ft yielding an approximately consumption of 9 gals per hour which with total usable fuel of 62 gallons (27.54 usable each tank all attitudes, and 3.5 additional each tank in level flight) would provide 6 plus 45 hours of fuel. This amply covered the 4 plus 48 planned route time and 6 plus 30 total. When forecast winds were correctly applied, planned route time would be more like 6 plus 10. Even with this, I was about 35 mins short on fuel. Flight plan progressed normally except winds had been a little stronger then forecast, resulting in a lower ground speed than anticipated (100-117 vice 114-125). Between mccomb and lake charles I had to deviation for WX and also was given a rerte clearance for arrival to houston southwest airport. I had some difficulty understanding the clearance because I thought they had said 'delco' arrival when it was in fact a 'gelco' arrival. At xx:00 the left tank burned dry. I found the correct STAR chart and was flying the route and had set up a crossing radial intercept (for popey intersection) and had just started refiguring the fuel and time remaining when the right tank burned dry at xx plus 25 (about 1 hour earlier than anticipated). In rechking my flight log (on the ground) I noticed that although cumulative planned time to lch was 4 plus 02 and actual was 5 plus 05, I didn't recognize the fact that the flight plan was 1 hour short at lch. The problem arose because I didn't recognize the full effects of the head winds. I also thought I had over an hour of fuel remaining when the tanks went dry. Contributing factors: the flight plan log I used was a new design to me and didn't include some information I've been accustomed to in the past, like fuel burn-off and fuel/time to go (I had flown widebody transport-a and widebody transport-B). These were things I had to compute while hand flying, avoiding WX, and being rerted. I discovered I was out of fuel when the tank ran dry. I thought I still had over 1 hour of fuel remaining. Corrective actions: flight plan log that adds space for time remaining and fuel remaining. To figure time remaining, I could have used ground speed estimate and divided it into distance remaining, but at the time I was getting distraction by WX, rerte, and planning crossing radial fixes. Human performance considerations: perception of having more fuel than actually was available, this was due to not logging the time differences between flight planned cumulative time figures and atas. Inactions -- didn't recognize the shortness of time remaining in time to obtain a close enough landing site. Resulted in crash landing with damage to aircraft. No injuries.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA IN IFR FLT PLAN IN IMC HAS FUEL EXHAUSTION. FORCED LNDG.

Narrative: I DID NOT RECOGNIZE THE DETERIORATION OF MY TIME/FUEL REMAINING IN TIME RO REFILE TO A CLOSER DEST. THE WINDS WERE WORSE THAN FORECAST. FUEL ON BOARD ENDED UP ABOUT 1 HOUR SHORT. FLT PLAN FUEL FIGURES WERE BASED ON MP OF 17-19 IN HG AND 2100-2200 RPM AT 12000 FT YIELDING AN APPROX CONSUMPTION OF 9 GALS PER HOUR WHICH WITH TOTAL USABLE FUEL OF 62 GALLONS (27.54 USABLE EACH TANK ALL ATTITUDES, AND 3.5 ADDITIONAL EACH TANK IN LEVEL FLT) WOULD PROVIDE 6 PLUS 45 HOURS OF FUEL. THIS AMPLY COVERED THE 4 PLUS 48 PLANNED RTE TIME AND 6 PLUS 30 TOTAL. WHEN FORECAST WINDS WERE CORRECTLY APPLIED, PLANNED RTE TIME WOULD BE MORE LIKE 6 PLUS 10. EVEN WITH THIS, I WAS ABOUT 35 MINS SHORT ON FUEL. FLT PLAN PROGRESSED NORMALLY EXCEPT WINDS HAD BEEN A LITTLE STRONGER THEN FORECAST, RESULTING IN A LOWER GND SPD THAN ANTICIPATED (100-117 VICE 114-125). BTWN MCCOMB AND LAKE CHARLES I HAD TO DEV FOR WX AND ALSO WAS GIVEN A RERTE CLRNC FOR ARR TO HOUSTON SW ARPT. I HAD SOME DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING THE CLRNC BECAUSE I THOUGHT THEY HAD SAID 'DELCO' ARR WHEN IT WAS IN FACT A 'GELCO' ARR. AT XX:00 THE L TANK BURNED DRY. I FOUND THE CORRECT STAR CHART AND WAS FLYING THE RTE AND HAD SET UP A XING RADIAL INTERCEPT (FOR POPEY INTXN) AND HAD JUST STARTED REFIGURING THE FUEL AND TIME REMAINING WHEN THE R TANK BURNED DRY AT XX PLUS 25 (ABOUT 1 HOUR EARLIER THAN ANTICIPATED). IN RECHKING MY FLT LOG (ON THE GND) I NOTICED THAT ALTHOUGH CUMULATIVE PLANNED TIME TO LCH WAS 4 PLUS 02 AND ACTUAL WAS 5 PLUS 05, I DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THE FACT THAT THE FLT PLAN WAS 1 HOUR SHORT AT LCH. THE PROBLEM AROSE BECAUSE I DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THE FULL EFFECTS OF THE HEAD WINDS. I ALSO THOUGHT I HAD OVER AN HOUR OF FUEL REMAINING WHEN THE TANKS WENT DRY. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: THE FLT PLAN LOG I USED WAS A NEW DESIGN TO ME AND DIDN'T INCLUDE SOME INFO I'VE BEEN ACCUSTOMED TO IN THE PAST, LIKE FUEL BURN-OFF AND FUEL/TIME TO GO (I HAD FLOWN WDB-A AND WDB-B). THESE WERE THINGS I HAD TO COMPUTE WHILE HAND FLYING, AVOIDING WX, AND BEING RERTED. I DISCOVERED I WAS OUT OF FUEL WHEN THE TANK RAN DRY. I THOUGHT I STILL HAD OVER 1 HOUR OF FUEL REMAINING. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: FLT PLAN LOG THAT ADDS SPACE FOR TIME REMAINING AND FUEL REMAINING. TO FIGURE TIME REMAINING, I COULD HAVE USED GND SPD ESTIMATE AND DIVIDED IT INTO DISTANCE REMAINING, BUT AT THE TIME I WAS GETTING DISTR BY WX, RERTE, AND PLANNING XING RADIAL FIXES. HUMAN PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS: PERCEPTION OF HAVING MORE FUEL THAN ACTUALLY WAS AVAILABLE, THIS WAS DUE TO NOT LOGGING THE TIME DIFFERENCES BTWN FLT PLANNED CUMULATIVE TIME FIGURES AND ATAS. INACTIONS -- DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THE SHORTNESS OF TIME REMAINING IN TIME TO OBTAIN A CLOSE ENOUGH LNDG SITE. RESULTED IN CRASH LNDG WITH DAMAGE TO ACFT. NO INJURIES.

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.