Narrative:

On the afternoon of may/thu/93, I was at the vance brand airport in longmont, co, preparing for an aerobatic practice session in an small aircraft. My aerobatics instructor would be critiquing my maneuvers from the ground. It was mid- afternoon and the usual thunderstorms were building along the foothills 15 mi to the west. I would be flying almost directly over the airport and planned to land before thunderstorms became a factor. I estimated my fuel supply to be 16 gallons, plenty for 30 mins at maximum power and for the 30 min reserve at cruise that I would land with. I departed runway 29 at approximately XX20 pm, climbed to a safe altitude and proceeded with the practice session. After 20-25 mins, I decided to land and radioed my intentions to my instructor. I switched to unicom and began descending to pattern altitude. The wind at that time was about 10 KTS from the west. As I turned base to short final for runway 29, unicom reported the wind at 19 gusting to 25 from 240. This was going to be the strongest crosswind I had ever landed the small aircraft in and I was concerned that I was not set up properly on short final to execute a safe landing. I elected to go around and set up a better approach for a crosswind landing. It took less than a min for me to repos myself on final again, but then unicom reported the wind speed at 29 gusting to 35, still from 240. As I was preparing to divert, my instructor came up on the unicom frequency and advised me to land at tri-county airport in erie. This airport is roughly 10 mi southeast of vance brand and I arrived there in roughly 5 mins. As I approached, I could see a cell over the airport with virga descending from it. I called several times for advisories and finally heard that the wind was from the west. I decided to try to land on runway 27. As I turned base the turbulence increased significantly and I could see that dust on the ground was blowing in all directions. I decided that it was not safe to proceed with the landing and looked around for my next option. It was clear out east and I estimated that front range airport was about 25 mi southeast of tri-county. This would take under 15 mins, so I would have plenty of fuel at cruise power. I called up denver approach for clearance through the denver TCA. About 7 mi northwest of front range airport, the engine started sputtering and then quit. I landed on a dirt road but during the rollout, the aircraft slipped off into the right soft shoulder and headed into a soft plowed field. Despite my best attempts to hold the tail down, the aircraft nosed over and bent a propeller blade. Also, fabric on the underside of the lower right wing was ripped, but there was no structural damage and no injuries. An FAA airworthiness inspector found less than 2 cups of fuel remaining. I believe that I overestimated the amount of fuel I had on board by 3-4 gallons. I based my initial estimate on reports by the previous pilot of how much time he had put on the plane at what power settings. I believe that the 3-4 gallon shortfall can be explained by inaccuracies in those estimates of time and fuel consumption rate. In the future, I will consider any convective cloud on the horizon as a potential emergency and will have the tanks topped off accordingly.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA RUNS OUT OF GAS AND IS SLIGHTLY DAMAGED WHILE LNDG ON A ROAD.

Narrative: ON THE AFTERNOON OF MAY/THU/93, I WAS AT THE VANCE BRAND ARPT IN LONGMONT, CO, PREPARING FOR AN AEROBATIC PRACTICE SESSION IN AN SMA. MY AEROBATICS INSTRUCTOR WOULD BE CRITIQUING MY MANEUVERS FROM THE GND. IT WAS MID- AFTERNOON AND THE USUAL TSTMS WERE BUILDING ALONG THE FOOTHILLS 15 MI TO THE W. I WOULD BE FLYING ALMOST DIRECTLY OVER THE ARPT AND PLANNED TO LAND BEFORE TSTMS BECAME A FACTOR. I ESTIMATED MY FUEL SUPPLY TO BE 16 GALLONS, PLENTY FOR 30 MINS AT MAX PWR AND FOR THE 30 MIN RESERVE AT CRUISE THAT I WOULD LAND WITH. I DEPARTED RWY 29 AT APPROX XX20 PM, CLBED TO A SAFE ALT AND PROCEEDED WITH THE PRACTICE SESSION. AFTER 20-25 MINS, I DECIDED TO LAND AND RADIOED MY INTENTIONS TO MY INSTRUCTOR. I SWITCHED TO UNICOM AND BEGAN DSNDING TO PATTERN ALT. THE WIND AT THAT TIME WAS ABOUT 10 KTS FROM THE W. AS I TURNED BASE TO SHORT FINAL FOR RWY 29, UNICOM RPTED THE WIND AT 19 GUSTING TO 25 FROM 240. THIS WAS GOING TO BE THE STRONGEST XWIND I HAD EVER LANDED THE SMA IN AND I WAS CONCERNED THAT I WAS NOT SET UP PROPERLY ON SHORT FINAL TO EXECUTE A SAFE LNDG. I ELECTED TO GAR AND SET UP A BETTER APCH FOR A XWIND LNDG. IT TOOK LESS THAN A MIN FOR ME TO REPOS MYSELF ON FINAL AGAIN, BUT THEN UNICOM RPTED THE WIND SPD AT 29 GUSTING TO 35, STILL FROM 240. AS I WAS PREPARING TO DIVERT, MY INSTRUCTOR CAME UP ON THE UNICOM FREQ AND ADVISED ME TO LAND AT TRI-COUNTY ARPT IN ERIE. THIS ARPT IS ROUGHLY 10 MI SE OF VANCE BRAND AND I ARRIVED THERE IN ROUGHLY 5 MINS. AS I APCHED, I COULD SEE A CELL OVER THE ARPT WITH VIRGA DSNDING FROM IT. I CALLED SEVERAL TIMES FOR ADVISORIES AND FINALLY HEARD THAT THE WIND WAS FROM THE W. I DECIDED TO TRY TO LAND ON RWY 27. AS I TURNED BASE THE TURB INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AND I COULD SEE THAT DUST ON THE GND WAS BLOWING IN ALL DIRECTIONS. I DECIDED THAT IT WAS NOT SAFE TO PROCEED WITH THE LNDG AND LOOKED AROUND FOR MY NEXT OPTION. IT WAS CLR OUT E AND I ESTIMATED THAT FRONT RANGE ARPT WAS ABOUT 25 MI SE OF TRI-COUNTY. THIS WOULD TAKE UNDER 15 MINS, SO I WOULD HAVE PLENTY OF FUEL AT CRUISE PWR. I CALLED UP DENVER APCH FOR CLRNC THROUGH THE DENVER TCA. ABOUT 7 MI NW OF FRONT RANGE ARPT, THE ENG STARTED SPUTTERING AND THEN QUIT. I LANDED ON A DIRT ROAD BUT DURING THE ROLLOUT, THE ACFT SLIPPED OFF INTO THE R SOFT SHOULDER AND HEADED INTO A SOFT PLOWED FIELD. DESPITE MY BEST ATTEMPTS TO HOLD THE TAIL DOWN, THE ACFT NOSED OVER AND BENT A PROP BLADE. ALSO, FABRIC ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE LOWER R WING WAS RIPPED, BUT THERE WAS NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE AND NO INJURIES. AN FAA AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTOR FOUND LESS THAN 2 CUPS OF FUEL REMAINING. I BELIEVE THAT I OVERESTIMATED THE AMOUNT OF FUEL I HAD ON BOARD BY 3-4 GALLONS. I BASED MY INITIAL ESTIMATE ON RPTS BY THE PREVIOUS PLT OF HOW MUCH TIME HE HAD PUT ON THE PLANE AT WHAT PWR SETTINGS. I BELIEVE THAT THE 3-4 GALLON SHORTFALL CAN BE EXPLAINED BY INACCURACIES IN THOSE ESTIMATES OF TIME AND FUEL CONSUMPTION RATE. IN THE FUTURE, I WILL CONSIDER ANY CONVECTIVE CLOUD ON THE HORIZON AS A POTENTIAL EMER AND WILL HAVE THE TANKS TOPPED OFF ACCORDINGLY.

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.