Narrative:

A week ago, on aug/sun/93, my wife and I were returning to K32 from M085 after visiting our daughter and her husband over the wkend. We had rented an small aircraft from riverside airport near wichita. After flying for 2 hours, we approached newton, ks, which is about 10 mins flight time from riverside airport. At this point the fuel gauges indicated a little more than 1/4 full. There was also no indication of trouble. We were at 3000 MSL. We flew around the city of newton and headed south towards riverside. As we began to let down, I enriched the mixture and at this point the engine began surging, that is, alternately dying and then running. I began looking for a cause, but all the gauges were in the green. I tried separate mags, this made no difference. I then thought it must be starving for fuel, so I tried rocking the wings. We had the tanks topped in harrisonville, so I couldn't believe it had used all our fuel, yet the gauges still indicated some. At this point, I slowed the airplane to 60 KTS and looked for a suitable landing site. We were already heading into the wind. I found a north/south 1-LANE farm road about a 1/4 of a mi long, and landed the airplane. We were not injured, so we exited the airplane. After inspection, there was no damage to the airplane. We had flown at this point some 2 hours and 15 mins. I looked in the fuel tanks and there was only an inch or so of fuel left. There were also no apparent leaks from the airplane. I am reporting this incident because of the low fuel situation. The airplane would not start on the fuel left in the tanks, so additional fuel was brought to the airplane which was started, ran normally and was flown on to riverside, 6 mi away. There are only speculations as to the cause of this incident: mixture too rich -- they have checked with some mechanics and were told the engine wouldn't run on 8-9 gallons hour mixture. Besides the engine ran smoothly until this happened. Fuel strainer leaking -- I checked this and closed it as I preflted the airplane. In addition my wife, daughter, and son-in-law watched me as I preflted the airplane and I feel they would have noticed if I had left this running. Fuel selector valve leaking -- I've been told this has happened before, but had no indication of this. Gas cap seal leaking -- I had no indication of a vapor trail while we were flying. Wing tank leaking -- I also had no indication of this while we were flying. I feel good that the airplane was just as capable of landing on a road as a runway. I'm not sure what I could have done differently. We were well below the endurance performance of the airplane. Well below even poor performance, so there must have been a leak of some kind.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMER OFF ARPT FORCED LNDG BY PVT PLT IN SMA. FUEL EXHAUSTION. FUEL REQUIRED REMAINING.

Narrative: A WK AGO, ON AUG/SUN/93, MY WIFE AND I WERE RETURNING TO K32 FROM M085 AFTER VISITING OUR DAUGHTER AND HER HUSBAND OVER THE WKEND. WE HAD RENTED AN SMA FROM RIVERSIDE ARPT NEAR WICHITA. AFTER FLYING FOR 2 HRS, WE APCHED NEWTON, KS, WHICH IS ABOUT 10 MINS FLT TIME FROM RIVERSIDE ARPT. AT THIS POINT THE FUEL GAUGES INDICATED A LITTLE MORE THAN 1/4 FULL. THERE WAS ALSO NO INDICATION OF TROUBLE. WE WERE AT 3000 MSL. WE FLEW AROUND THE CITY OF NEWTON AND HEADED S TOWARDS RIVERSIDE. AS WE BEGAN TO LET DOWN, I ENRICHED THE MIXTURE AND AT THIS POINT THE ENG BEGAN SURGING, THAT IS, ALTERNATELY DYING AND THEN RUNNING. I BEGAN LOOKING FOR A CAUSE, BUT ALL THE GAUGES WERE IN THE GREEN. I TRIED SEPARATE MAGS, THIS MADE NO DIFFERENCE. I THEN THOUGHT IT MUST BE STARVING FOR FUEL, SO I TRIED ROCKING THE WINGS. WE HAD THE TANKS TOPPED IN HARRISONVILLE, SO I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT HAD USED ALL OUR FUEL, YET THE GAUGES STILL INDICATED SOME. AT THIS POINT, I SLOWED THE AIRPLANE TO 60 KTS AND LOOKED FOR A SUITABLE LNDG SITE. WE WERE ALREADY HDG INTO THE WIND. I FOUND A N/S 1-LANE FARM ROAD ABOUT A 1/4 OF A MI LONG, AND LANDED THE AIRPLANE. WE WERE NOT INJURED, SO WE EXITED THE AIRPLANE. AFTER INSPECTION, THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE. WE HAD FLOWN AT THIS POINT SOME 2 HRS AND 15 MINS. I LOOKED IN THE FUEL TANKS AND THERE WAS ONLY AN INCH OR SO OF FUEL LEFT. THERE WERE ALSO NO APPARENT LEAKS FROM THE AIRPLANE. I AM RPTING THIS INCIDENT BECAUSE OF THE LOW FUEL SIT. THE AIRPLANE WOULD NOT START ON THE FUEL LEFT IN THE TANKS, SO ADDITIONAL FUEL WAS BROUGHT TO THE AIRPLANE WHICH WAS STARTED, RAN NORMALLY AND WAS FLOWN ON TO RIVERSIDE, 6 MI AWAY. THERE ARE ONLY SPECULATIONS AS TO THE CAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT: MIXTURE TOO RICH -- THEY HAVE CHKED WITH SOME MECHS AND WERE TOLD THE ENG WOULDN'T RUN ON 8-9 GALLONS HR MIXTURE. BESIDES THE ENG RAN SMOOTHLY UNTIL THIS HAPPENED. FUEL STRAINER LEAKING -- I CHKED THIS AND CLOSED IT AS I PREFLTED THE AIRPLANE. IN ADDITION MY WIFE, DAUGHTER, AND SON-IN-LAW WATCHED ME AS I PREFLTED THE AIRPLANE AND I FEEL THEY WOULD HAVE NOTICED IF I HAD LEFT THIS RUNNING. FUEL SELECTOR VALVE LEAKING -- I'VE BEEN TOLD THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE, BUT HAD NO INDICATION OF THIS. GAS CAP SEAL LEAKING -- I HAD NO INDICATION OF A VAPOR TRAIL WHILE WE WERE FLYING. WING TANK LEAKING -- I ALSO HAD NO INDICATION OF THIS WHILE WE WERE FLYING. I FEEL GOOD THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS JUST AS CAPABLE OF LNDG ON A ROAD AS A RWY. I'M NOT SURE WHAT I COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY. WE WERE WELL BELOW THE ENDURANCE PERFORMANCE OF THE AIRPLANE. WELL BELOW EVEN POOR PERFORMANCE, SO THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A LEAK OF SOME KIND.

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.