Narrative:

I then ordered fuel 'topped off' and proceeded to warm up, calm down, and called FSS for WX along my intended route towards athens, GA. The WX briefing indicated vastly improving conditions along my intended route of flight. With these winds in mind, my target destination which would have been macon, GA, with its substantially better WX became out of the question since I calculated it to be 325 kilometers away. So I filed an IFR flight plan to athens, GA, at only 258 kilometers. Somehow, I calculated that this would be easily attainable, and a good place to spend the night -- past the brunt of WX that was predicted to be around for another day or more. I payed the bill for the 33 gallons of fuel that my aircraft had consumed and preflted the aircraft for departure. I departed lexington en route towards athens, GA. While climbing to a filed altitude of 7000 ft I encountered moderate to severe turbulence, and reported it to departure. Other aircraft did the same. Approximately 45 mins into the flight, both my LORAN and VOR receiver became intermittent. I reported this to center and asked them for occasional updates on position and course. Center gladly agreed and eventually bumped me up to 9 and then to 10000 ft. At 10000 I was picking up moderate mixed ice and requested lower. I was progressively and eventually stepped down to 5000 ft, but shortly after leaving 10000 I was advised that my transponder was becoming intermittent and instructed to recycle it numerous times, which I did. Eventually, I crossed foothills VOR, which I compared to my elapsed flight time to that point, and I suspected that my gndspd was even less than earlier calculated and earlier indicated by my formerly operative LORAN, and I would really like to get into some VFR conditions and top off the fuel. I told center that I would like to land at the closest airport in VFR conditions, in order to have my radios repaired. I didn't dare to mention anything about fuel this time! The controller said that he would try to get me down, but with my intermittent transponder/encoder, he didn't want to 'lose me' out there. I was now receiving athens VOR very well, although I was relying on the controller's input for distance information. Having flown approximately 3 hours and 25 mins. I was both concerned about my fuel status, and about how much of this concern was a result of my earlier experience, and that I should have more faith in time/fuel management. I had been flying for the last 20 mins or so at very lean/best economy and about 60 percent of power. So I thought to myself, try to relax, and get another update on my distance to athens airport. Well, the controller said that I was still 20 something mi from athens and I could have sworn that he had told me almost the same distance about 15 mins earlier. At this point I had been in and out of the cloud bases at 3000 ft for about 20 mins, and had several opportunities to descend into VFR conditions and land on a suitable lake. I decided to do just that, and informed the controller that I would like to close my IFR flight plan at this time. He asked me if I had athens in sight, and I responded 'yes, and a lake.' I can't imagine what he thought of my comment at that moment, but I had passed a seemingly suitable lake just mins before, and that felt better to me, than an airport that was still upwind, and a time/fuel duration that was making me nervous. I made a descending left turn downwind towards the lake. I leveled off at 2500 in VFR conditions with light rain, and dark skies. I no sooner regained sight of the lake when my engine surged 3 times and quit. I engaged the electric fuel pump, and wiggled the rudder, attempting to scavenge any last bit of fuel available, believing that fuel starvation was indeed the cause for engine failure. Engine power was never restored, but it became suddenly evident that I was going to make the lake. Believing in the philosophy that it is much better to land fast and under control, than to stall/spin, etc, I opted for slipping the aircraft to position for a 'hot' downwind landing, rather than chancing a downwind leg with a possibly slow and low turn to final. I landed smoothly upon the lake, however did not stop the aircraft before the far shore. My aircraft slid up on the wet grass and came to rest. No injuries or damage except to the airplane, which sustained repairable damage while sliding up on shore. Engine running duration approximately 3 hours 40 mins. 1) most every problem, violation, and all over demonstration of poor judgement on the part of myself, the pilot and owner of this aircraft, was largely due to the pilot's a) failure to accept/realize the instrument and range limitations of the aircraft. B) failure of the pilot to accurately calculate the fuel/time range of the aircraft, given the winds and WX conditions present. 2) I was under a great deal of pressure to get to tampa bay, fl, for a business meeting that I believed to represent my best opportunity for a prosperous career future (thought I just had to get there). 3) after many yrs and over 6000 hours of flight time including a great deal of instrument time, I must have developed a feeling of confidence, that nothing this stupid, or blatantly irresponsible, would ever happen with me in charge. 4) I was very anxious, and slept poorly the night before, and perhaps my judgement was somewhat impaired due to being tired. 5) pilots should have it drilled into their brains, that they are never above the FARS, because they have been established for everyone's safety, including the experienced pilot, who may become complacent or overconfident. 6) I knew the rules and proper procedures. As soon as I had made 1 error in judgement, it seemed to have progressed like dominos.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FUEL EXHAUSTION MANDATES AN OFF ARPT EMER FORCED LNDG.

Narrative: I THEN ORDERED FUEL 'TOPPED OFF' AND PROCEEDED TO WARM UP, CALM DOWN, AND CALLED FSS FOR WX ALONG MY INTENDED RTE TOWARDS ATHENS, GA. THE WX BRIEFING INDICATED VASTLY IMPROVING CONDITIONS ALONG MY INTENDED RTE OF FLT. WITH THESE WINDS IN MIND, MY TARGET DEST WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN MACON, GA, WITH ITS SUBSTANTIALLY BETTER WX BECAME OUT OF THE QUESTION SINCE I CALCULATED IT TO BE 325 KILOMETERS AWAY. SO I FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN TO ATHENS, GA, AT ONLY 258 KILOMETERS. SOMEHOW, I CALCULATED THAT THIS WOULD BE EASILY ATTAINABLE, AND A GOOD PLACE TO SPEND THE NIGHT -- PAST THE BRUNT OF WX THAT WAS PREDICTED TO BE AROUND FOR ANOTHER DAY OR MORE. I PAYED THE BILL FOR THE 33 GALLONS OF FUEL THAT MY ACFT HAD CONSUMED AND PREFLTED THE ACFT FOR DEP. I DEPARTED LEXINGTON ENRTE TOWARDS ATHENS, GA. WHILE CLBING TO A FILED ALT OF 7000 FT I ENCOUNTERED MODERATE TO SEVERE TURB, AND RPTED IT TO DEP. OTHER ACFT DID THE SAME. APPROX 45 MINS INTO THE FLT, BOTH MY LORAN AND VOR RECEIVER BECAME INTERMITTENT. I RPTED THIS TO CTR AND ASKED THEM FOR OCCASIONAL UPDATES ON POS AND COURSE. CTR GLADLY AGREED AND EVENTUALLY BUMPED ME UP TO 9 AND THEN TO 10000 FT. AT 10000 I WAS PICKING UP MODERATE MIXED ICE AND REQUESTED LOWER. I WAS PROGRESSIVELY AND EVENTUALLY STEPPED DOWN TO 5000 FT, BUT SHORTLY AFTER LEAVING 10000 I WAS ADVISED THAT MY TRANSPONDER WAS BECOMING INTERMITTENT AND INSTRUCTED TO RECYCLE IT NUMEROUS TIMES, WHICH I DID. EVENTUALLY, I CROSSED FOOTHILLS VOR, WHICH I COMPARED TO MY ELAPSED FLT TIME TO THAT POINT, AND I SUSPECTED THAT MY GNDSPD WAS EVEN LESS THAN EARLIER CALCULATED AND EARLIER INDICATED BY MY FORMERLY OPERATIVE LORAN, AND I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO GET INTO SOME VFR CONDITIONS AND TOP OFF THE FUEL. I TOLD CTR THAT I WOULD LIKE TO LAND AT THE CLOSEST ARPT IN VFR CONDITIONS, IN ORDER TO HAVE MY RADIOS REPAIRED. I DIDN'T DARE TO MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT FUEL THIS TIME! THE CTLR SAID THAT HE WOULD TRY TO GET ME DOWN, BUT WITH MY INTERMITTENT TRANSPONDER/ENCODER, HE DIDN'T WANT TO 'LOSE ME' OUT THERE. I WAS NOW RECEIVING ATHENS VOR VERY WELL, ALTHOUGH I WAS RELYING ON THE CTLR'S INPUT FOR DISTANCE INFO. HAVING FLOWN APPROX 3 HRS AND 25 MINS. I WAS BOTH CONCERNED ABOUT MY FUEL STATUS, AND ABOUT HOW MUCH OF THIS CONCERN WAS A RESULT OF MY EARLIER EXPERIENCE, AND THAT I SHOULD HAVE MORE FAITH IN TIME/FUEL MGMNT. I HAD BEEN FLYING FOR THE LAST 20 MINS OR SO AT VERY LEAN/BEST ECONOMY AND ABOUT 60 PERCENT OF PWR. SO I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, TRY TO RELAX, AND GET ANOTHER UPDATE ON MY DISTANCE TO ATHENS ARPT. WELL, THE CTLR SAID THAT I WAS STILL 20 SOMETHING MI FROM ATHENS AND I COULD HAVE SWORN THAT HE HAD TOLD ME ALMOST THE SAME DISTANCE ABOUT 15 MINS EARLIER. AT THIS POINT I HAD BEEN IN AND OUT OF THE CLOUD BASES AT 3000 FT FOR ABOUT 20 MINS, AND HAD SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES TO DSND INTO VFR CONDITIONS AND LAND ON A SUITABLE LAKE. I DECIDED TO DO JUST THAT, AND INFORMED THE CTLR THAT I WOULD LIKE TO CLOSE MY IFR FLT PLAN AT THIS TIME. HE ASKED ME IF I HAD ATHENS IN SIGHT, AND I RESPONDED 'YES, AND A LAKE.' I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT HE THOUGHT OF MY COMMENT AT THAT MOMENT, BUT I HAD PASSED A SEEMINGLY SUITABLE LAKE JUST MINS BEFORE, AND THAT FELT BETTER TO ME, THAN AN ARPT THAT WAS STILL UPWIND, AND A TIME/FUEL DURATION THAT WAS MAKING ME NERVOUS. I MADE A DSNDING L TURN DOWNWIND TOWARDS THE LAKE. I LEVELED OFF AT 2500 IN VFR CONDITIONS WITH LIGHT RAIN, AND DARK SKIES. I NO SOONER REGAINED SIGHT OF THE LAKE WHEN MY ENG SURGED 3 TIMES AND QUIT. I ENGAGED THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP, AND WIGGLED THE RUDDER, ATTEMPTING TO SCAVENGE ANY LAST BIT OF FUEL AVAILABLE, BELIEVING THAT FUEL STARVATION WAS INDEED THE CAUSE FOR ENG FAILURE. ENG PWR WAS NEVER RESTORED, BUT IT BECAME SUDDENLY EVIDENT THAT I WAS GOING TO MAKE THE LAKE. BELIEVING IN THE PHILOSOPHY THAT IT IS MUCH BETTER TO LAND FAST AND UNDER CTL, THAN TO STALL/SPIN, ETC, I OPTED FOR SLIPPING THE ACFT TO POS FOR A 'HOT' DOWNWIND LNDG, RATHER THAN CHANCING A DOWNWIND LEG WITH A POSSIBLY SLOW AND LOW TURN TO FINAL. I LANDED SMOOTHLY UPON THE LAKE, HOWEVER DID NOT STOP THE ACFT BEFORE THE FAR SHORE. MY ACFT SLID UP ON THE WET GRASS AND CAME TO REST. NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE EXCEPT TO THE AIRPLANE, WHICH SUSTAINED REPAIRABLE DAMAGE WHILE SLIDING UP ON SHORE. ENG RUNNING DURATION APPROX 3 HRS 40 MINS. 1) MOST EVERY PROBLEM, VIOLATION, AND ALL OVER DEMONSTRATION OF POOR JUDGEMENT ON THE PART OF MYSELF, THE PLT AND OWNER OF THIS ACFT, WAS LARGELY DUE TO THE PLT'S A) FAILURE TO ACCEPT/REALIZE THE INST AND RANGE LIMITATIONS OF THE ACFT. B) FAILURE OF THE PLT TO ACCURATELY CALCULATE THE FUEL/TIME RANGE OF THE ACFT, GIVEN THE WINDS AND WX CONDITIONS PRESENT. 2) I WAS UNDER A GREAT DEAL OF PRESSURE TO GET TO TAMPA BAY, FL, FOR A BUSINESS MEETING THAT I BELIEVED TO REPRESENT MY BEST OPPORTUNITY FOR A PROSPEROUS CAREER FUTURE (THOUGHT I JUST HAD TO GET THERE). 3) AFTER MANY YRS AND OVER 6000 HRS OF FLT TIME INCLUDING A GREAT DEAL OF INST TIME, I MUST HAVE DEVELOPED A FEELING OF CONFIDENCE, THAT NOTHING THIS STUPID, OR BLATANTLY IRRESPONSIBLE, WOULD EVER HAPPEN WITH ME IN CHARGE. 4) I WAS VERY ANXIOUS, AND SLEPT POORLY THE NIGHT BEFORE, AND PERHAPS MY JUDGEMENT WAS SOMEWHAT IMPAIRED DUE TO BEING TIRED. 5) PLTS SHOULD HAVE IT DRILLED INTO THEIR BRAINS, THAT THEY ARE NEVER ABOVE THE FARS, BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR EVERYONE'S SAFETY, INCLUDING THE EXPERIENCED PLT, WHO MAY BECOME COMPLACENT OR OVERCONFIDENT. 6) I KNEW THE RULES AND PROPER PROCS. AS SOON AS I HAD MADE 1 ERROR IN JUDGEMENT, IT SEEMED TO HAVE PROGRESSED LIKE DOMINOS.

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.