Narrative:

Departed bullhead/laughlin, az, airport for albuquerque, NM, at approximately XA40 MST with 2 pilots and their wives. The owner of the aircraft preflted the aircraft, while I transported the wives and a little luggage to the airport from the hotel across the river. The owner said he had paid for the fuel, preflted and was ready to go. As he had flown the leg going to bullhead, I flew the return leg. Taxiing out, I noted that both fuel gauges indicated a little above 3/4. After a normal takeoff the landing gear was very slow coming up, then the circuit breaker popped. The owner and I discussed the problem, knowing we would have to crank the gear down (which we had both done before), and elected to continue on to abq. We leveled at 9500 direct flagstaff, az. Ground speed wasnþt too high, probably because of some headwind and more than likely a hanging gear. Fuel tanks were switched from the right, which was indicating 1/2, to the left side over the winslow airport. Approximately 30-40 mi west of the abq international airport the engine started to quit. I turned on the boost pump, switched fuel tanks left to right and the engine ran ok. I think the left gauge was indicating between 1/4 and 1/2. As we had incurred gear problems, I tried to put the gear down electrically but it popped the circuit breaker again. I had the other pilot/owner crank the gear down. We had switched to approach control at about 25 mi and were clear to runway 03 at the abq international. At about 10 mi out on a semi-straight in, the engine started quitting again. I switched the boost pump on and back to the left tank. I knew we had a problem. Both gauges were indicating a little above 1/4. The engine picked up a little. I saw a north/south dirt road to my left approximately 1-1/2 to 2 mi away. I knew the winds from the ATIS at abq were from the north 350 degrees at 14 KTS. I turned for the road. The engine had quit and I switched tanks again. The engine picked up again but not enough to sustain flight. Descent time was approximately 1 min. I lowered the flaps as I flared, the road was a muddy dirt track 12-18 inches below the ground. Touchdown ok, then I saw a railroad tie fence pole. I lifted the left wing over it but drifted to the right, hitting berm, collapsing the right gear and the nose. Switching and fuel off, we vacated the aircraft. Only injury was to the pltþs wife, a wrenched back. Generally accidents are not caused by one single problem but several, i.e. Gear problem, fuel gauge ect. After thinking about it and seeing the location of the fuel pressurizing pipe (about 2 inches from the main gear), I think partially open gear doors created a vacuum around the pressurizing stand pipe instead of allowing it to pressurize and also siphoned some fuel out. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the owner pilot who allowed the reporter to fly the return leg to abq had done the preflight and had the aircraft fueled. He did not fill the tanks but only added fuel to the þtabþ level, which provided a total of about 54 gals versus full tank capacity of 74 gallons. That is what they had fueled to on the outbound trip from abq and reasoned that they would burn about the same amount on the leg to abq. Reporter admitted that they realized that the IAS was lower than performance and suspected a door open or a gear partially extended. What they failed to anticipate was that the open gear door/doors acted as an air cavity and provided suction from the pressure tubes under the wing, thereby siphoning fuel and partially collapsing the flexible fuel tank. This further clouded their problem as the fuel remaining didnþt appear to be too low as the tanks registered in proportion to the now smaller collapsed tank and did not reflect the actual lower fuel situation. The flight time for the flight out was 2:45. The return flight was 3:15. When the local FSDO had the aircraft jacked up in the aftermath, the fuel gauges and tanks now reflected 0 fuel. This was fuel exhaustion. Reporter and analyst reflected upon the value of having full tanks in a GA aircraft, it most certainly will assist in unexpected fuel burn situations. There was this þoldþ senior pilot with one ofthe major carriers back in the þconnieþ days that always said þthe heck with the WX, just fill up the tanks.þ

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA SUFFERS THROUGH A FORCED EMER OFF ARPT LNDG AFTER EXPERIENCING FUEL STARVATION AND ENG FAILURE.

Narrative: DEPARTED BULLHEAD/LAUGHLIN, AZ, ARPT FOR ALBUQUERQUE, NM, AT APPROX XA40 MST WITH 2 PLTS AND THEIR WIVES. THE OWNER OF THE ACFT PREFLTED THE ACFT, WHILE I TRANSPORTED THE WIVES AND A LITTLE LUGGAGE TO THE ARPT FROM THE HOTEL ACROSS THE RIVER. THE OWNER SAID HE HAD PAID FOR THE FUEL, PREFLTED AND WAS READY TO GO. AS HE HAD FLOWN THE LEG GOING TO BULLHEAD, I FLEW THE RETURN LEG. TAXIING OUT, I NOTED THAT BOTH FUEL GAUGES INDICATED A LITTLE ABOVE 3/4. AFTER A NORMAL TKOF THE LNDG GEAR WAS VERY SLOW COMING UP, THEN THE CIRCUIT BREAKER POPPED. THE OWNER AND I DISCUSSED THE PROBLEM, KNOWING WE WOULD HAVE TO CRANK THE GEAR DOWN (WHICH WE HAD BOTH DONE BEFORE), AND ELECTED TO CONTINUE ON TO ABQ. WE LEVELED AT 9500 DIRECT FLAGSTAFF, AZ. GND SPD WASNþT TOO HIGH, PROBABLY BECAUSE OF SOME HEADWIND AND MORE THAN LIKELY A HANGING GEAR. FUEL TANKS WERE SWITCHED FROM THE R, WHICH WAS INDICATING 1/2, TO THE L SIDE OVER THE WINSLOW ARPT. APPROX 30-40 MI W OF THE ABQ INTL ARPT THE ENG STARTED TO QUIT. I TURNED ON THE BOOST PUMP, SWITCHED FUEL TANKS L TO R AND THE ENG RAN OK. I THINK THE L GAUGE WAS INDICATING BTWN 1/4 AND 1/2. AS WE HAD INCURRED GEAR PROBLEMS, I TRIED TO PUT THE GEAR DOWN ELECTRICALLY BUT IT POPPED THE CIRCUIT BREAKER AGAIN. I HAD THE OTHER PLT/OWNER CRANK THE GEAR DOWN. WE HAD SWITCHED TO APCH CTL AT ABOUT 25 MI AND WERE CLR TO RWY 03 AT THE ABQ INTL. AT ABOUT 10 MI OUT ON A SEMI-STRAIGHT IN, THE ENG STARTED QUITTING AGAIN. I SWITCHED THE BOOST PUMP ON AND BACK TO THE L TANK. I KNEW WE HAD A PROBLEM. BOTH GAUGES WERE INDICATING A LITTLE ABOVE 1/4. THE ENG PICKED UP A LITTLE. I SAW A N/S DIRT ROAD TO MY L APPROX 1-1/2 TO 2 MI AWAY. I KNEW THE WINDS FROM THE ATIS AT ABQ WERE FROM THE N 350 DEGS AT 14 KTS. I TURNED FOR THE ROAD. THE ENG HAD QUIT AND I SWITCHED TANKS AGAIN. THE ENG PICKED UP AGAIN BUT NOT ENOUGH TO SUSTAIN FLT. DSCNT TIME WAS APPROX 1 MIN. I LOWERED THE FLAPS AS I FLARED, THE ROAD WAS A MUDDY DIRT TRACK 12-18 INCHES BELOW THE GND. TOUCHDOWN OK, THEN I SAW A RAILROAD TIE FENCE POLE. I LIFTED THE L WING OVER IT BUT DRIFTED TO THE R, HITTING BERM, COLLAPSING THE R GEAR AND THE NOSE. SWITCHING AND FUEL OFF, WE VACATED THE ACFT. ONLY INJURY WAS TO THE PLTþS WIFE, A WRENCHED BACK. GENERALLY ACCIDENTS ARE NOT CAUSED BY ONE SINGLE PROBLEM BUT SEVERAL, I.E. GEAR PROBLEM, FUEL GAUGE ECT. AFTER THINKING ABOUT IT AND SEEING THE LOCATION OF THE FUEL PRESSURIZING PIPE (ABOUT 2 INCHES FROM THE MAIN GEAR), I THINK PARTIALLY OPEN GEAR DOORS CREATED A VACUUM AROUND THE PRESSURIZING STAND PIPE INSTEAD OF ALLOWING IT TO PRESSURIZE AND ALSO SIPHONED SOME FUEL OUT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE OWNER PLT WHO ALLOWED THE RPTR TO FLY THE RETURN LEG TO ABQ HAD DONE THE PREFLT AND HAD THE ACFT FUELED. HE DID NOT FILL THE TANKS BUT ONLY ADDED FUEL TO THE þTABþ LEVEL, WHICH PROVIDED A TOTAL OF ABOUT 54 GALS VERSUS FULL TANK CAPACITY OF 74 GALLONS. THAT IS WHAT THEY HAD FUELED TO ON THE OUTBOUND TRIP FROM ABQ AND REASONED THAT THEY WOULD BURN ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT ON THE LEG TO ABQ. RPTR ADMITTED THAT THEY REALIZED THAT THE IAS WAS LOWER THAN PERFORMANCE AND SUSPECTED A DOOR OPEN OR A GEAR PARTIALLY EXTENDED. WHAT THEY FAILED TO ANTICIPATE WAS THAT THE OPEN GEAR DOOR/DOORS ACTED AS AN AIR CAVITY AND PROVIDED SUCTION FROM THE PRESSURE TUBES UNDER THE WING, THEREBY SIPHONING FUEL AND PARTIALLY COLLAPSING THE FLEXIBLE FUEL TANK. THIS FURTHER CLOUDED THEIR PROBLEM AS THE FUEL REMAINING DIDNþT APPEAR TO BE TOO LOW AS THE TANKS REGISTERED IN PROPORTION TO THE NOW SMALLER COLLAPSED TANK AND DID NOT REFLECT THE ACTUAL LOWER FUEL SITUATION. THE FLT TIME FOR THE FLT OUT WAS 2:45. THE RETURN FLT WAS 3:15. WHEN THE LCL FSDO HAD THE ACFT JACKED UP IN THE AFTERMATH, THE FUEL GAUGES AND TANKS NOW REFLECTED 0 FUEL. THIS WAS FUEL EXHAUSTION. RPTR AND ANALYST REFLECTED UPON THE VALUE OF HAVING FULL TANKS IN A GA ACFT, IT MOST CERTAINLY WILL ASSIST IN UNEXPECTED FUEL BURN SITUATIONS. THERE WAS THIS þOLDþ SENIOR PLT WITH ONE OFTHE MAJOR CARRIERS BACK IN THE þCONNIEþ DAYS THAT ALWAYS SAID þTHE HECK WITH THE WX, JUST FILL UP THE TANKS.þ

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.