Narrative:

My 12 yr old son and I were returning from a vacation trip to the state of oregon back to southern ca. I topped off the fuel tanks in medford, or. My next planned fuel stop was fresno chandler airport. When nearing the el nido VOR, I noticed my fuel indicator was reading 3/8 in left tank and a little over 1/4 in the right tank. I was sure I could make it on to fresno but knew I would not have legal reserve. I quickly shared this with my son and asked him to get information on the nearest airport. After checking the flight guide and the commercial airport directory, we decided to land at chowchilla airport. 1 reason that prompted me to choose chowchilla was because they allowed overnight camping and we had camping gear including a tent. I located the airport off of the VOR and gave the 3 required clicks to activate the lights. We were flying at 7500 ft MSL at that time. The lights appeared very dim although the commercial directory stated medium intensity. As I began my slow circular descent, I contacted FSS at fresno for wind direction. After my 2 conversations with FSS, the right fuel tank went dry. I immediately turned on the fuel booster pump and switched to the left tank. Meanwhile my son and I had lost our visual on the airport. Periodically, I clicked the microphone as required. I continued my turns, feeling sure that we would regain our visual at any moment. Looking at the DME display, I noticed it said 13 mi from the VOR which meant we had flown south of the airport by at least 3 mi. I then lined up for the VOR. My fuel indicator was nearing empty and I was down at 1000 ft so I began to climb as high as I could knowing full well that I probably would not be landing at an airport this dark night. At 3000 ft the engine went silent and at that same moment I regained my airport visual. I knew that I could not glide that far but kept the airplane at my best glide angle and aimed towards a large field area just south of the airport. As I came closer, I could see that a chain link fence separated the field from a large brightly lit industrial building. I knew that if I kept going straight, I would not be able to avoid hitting the fence. With an airspeed of 80 KTS, and landing light aiding me, I made a turn to the left over a row of trees and into the recently plowed backyard of the industrial building 30 ft from the fence. After an incredibly soft landing and a 406 ft rollout, we were safely on the ground. The only damage to the aircraft was a broken strobe light bulb on the left wing tip sustained when I made the left turn over the trees. It is easy now to look back and see what I could have done to avoid the mishap. If I had paid attention to the DME earlier for example or if I had stated my problem and had asked for assistance when I first lost sight of the airport. My thinking that 'any moment now I will have the airport in sight and everything will be okay' could have been much costlier than it was. Although I am keenly aware of my responsibility for the mishap, I honestly believe the lighting of the airport at chowchilla should be upgraded in order to compete with the much brighter lights in the area, the industrial yard where I landed is a prime example. Their business is so well lit up that it over pwrs the airport lighting. I met with FAA investigators the next morning at the site and after sharing the same account of events they informed me that they do not regard this as an accident but as an incident. I flew the plane from a road later.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PRIVATE PLT PERFORMS AN OFF ARPT EMER LNDG IN A NIGHT OP AFTER ATTEMPTING A DIVERSION TO AN ALTERNATE ARPT. FUEL EXHAUSTION.

Narrative: MY 12 YR OLD SON AND I WERE RETURNING FROM A VACATION TRIP TO THE STATE OF OREGON BACK TO SOUTHERN CA. I TOPPED OFF THE FUEL TANKS IN MEDFORD, OR. MY NEXT PLANNED FUEL STOP WAS FRESNO CHANDLER ARPT. WHEN NEARING THE EL NIDO VOR, I NOTICED MY FUEL INDICATOR WAS READING 3/8 IN L TANK AND A LITTLE OVER 1/4 IN THE R TANK. I WAS SURE I COULD MAKE IT ON TO FRESNO BUT KNEW I WOULD NOT HAVE LEGAL RESERVE. I QUICKLY SHARED THIS WITH MY SON AND ASKED HIM TO GET INFO ON THE NEAREST ARPT. AFTER CHKING THE FLT GUIDE AND THE COMMERCIAL ARPT DIRECTORY, WE DECIDED TO LAND AT CHOWCHILLA ARPT. 1 REASON THAT PROMPTED ME TO CHOOSE CHOWCHILLA WAS BECAUSE THEY ALLOWED OVERNIGHT CAMPING AND WE HAD CAMPING GEAR INCLUDING A TENT. I LOCATED THE ARPT OFF OF THE VOR AND GAVE THE 3 REQUIRED CLICKS TO ACTIVATE THE LIGHTS. WE WERE FLYING AT 7500 FT MSL AT THAT TIME. THE LIGHTS APPEARED VERY DIM ALTHOUGH THE COMMERCIAL DIRECTORY STATED MEDIUM INTENSITY. AS I BEGAN MY SLOW CIRCULAR DSCNT, I CONTACTED FSS AT FRESNO FOR WIND DIRECTION. AFTER MY 2 CONVERSATIONS WITH FSS, THE R FUEL TANK WENT DRY. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED ON THE FUEL BOOSTER PUMP AND SWITCHED TO THE L TANK. MEANWHILE MY SON AND I HAD LOST OUR VISUAL ON THE ARPT. PERIODICALLY, I CLICKED THE MICROPHONE AS REQUIRED. I CONTINUED MY TURNS, FEELING SURE THAT WE WOULD REGAIN OUR VISUAL AT ANY MOMENT. LOOKING AT THE DME DISPLAY, I NOTICED IT SAID 13 MI FROM THE VOR WHICH MEANT WE HAD FLOWN S OF THE ARPT BY AT LEAST 3 MI. I THEN LINED UP FOR THE VOR. MY FUEL INDICATOR WAS NEARING EMPTY AND I WAS DOWN AT 1000 FT SO I BEGAN TO CLB AS HIGH AS I COULD KNOWING FULL WELL THAT I PROBABLY WOULD NOT BE LNDG AT AN ARPT THIS DARK NIGHT. AT 3000 FT THE ENG WENT SILENT AND AT THAT SAME MOMENT I REGAINED MY ARPT VISUAL. I KNEW THAT I COULD NOT GLIDE THAT FAR BUT KEPT THE AIRPLANE AT MY BEST GLIDE ANGLE AND AIMED TOWARDS A LARGE FIELD AREA JUST S OF THE ARPT. AS I CAME CLOSER, I COULD SEE THAT A CHAIN LINK FENCE SEPARATED THE FIELD FROM A LARGE BRIGHTLY LIT INDUSTRIAL BUILDING. I KNEW THAT IF I KEPT GOING STRAIGHT, I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO AVOID HITTING THE FENCE. WITH AN AIRSPD OF 80 KTS, AND LNDG LIGHT AIDING ME, I MADE A TURN TO THE L OVER A ROW OF TREES AND INTO THE RECENTLY PLOWED BACKYARD OF THE INDUSTRIAL BUILDING 30 FT FROM THE FENCE. AFTER AN INCREDIBLY SOFT LNDG AND A 406 FT ROLLOUT, WE WERE SAFELY ON THE GND. THE ONLY DAMAGE TO THE ACFT WAS A BROKEN STROBE LIGHT BULB ON THE L WING TIP SUSTAINED WHEN I MADE THE L TURN OVER THE TREES. IT IS EASY NOW TO LOOK BACK AND SEE WHAT I COULD HAVE DONE TO AVOID THE MISHAP. IF I HAD PAID ATTN TO THE DME EARLIER FOR EXAMPLE OR IF I HAD STATED MY PROBLEM AND HAD ASKED FOR ASSISTANCE WHEN I FIRST LOST SIGHT OF THE ARPT. MY THINKING THAT 'ANY MOMENT NOW I WILL HAVE THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY' COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH COSTLIER THAN IT WAS. ALTHOUGH I AM KEENLY AWARE OF MY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE MISHAP, I HONESTLY BELIEVE THE LIGHTING OF THE ARPT AT CHOWCHILLA SHOULD BE UPGRADED IN ORDER TO COMPETE WITH THE MUCH BRIGHTER LIGHTS IN THE AREA, THE INDUSTRIAL YARD WHERE I LANDED IS A PRIME EXAMPLE. THEIR BUSINESS IS SO WELL LIT UP THAT IT OVER PWRS THE ARPT LIGHTING. I MET WITH FAA INVESTIGATORS THE NEXT MORNING AT THE SITE AND AFTER SHARING THE SAME ACCOUNT OF EVENTS THEY INFORMED ME THAT THEY DO NOT REGARD THIS AS AN ACCIDENT BUT AS AN INCIDENT. I FLEW THE PLANE FROM A ROAD LATER.

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.