Diversion to alternate airport after emergency declared due to fuel exhaustion.

Attributes
ACN	252279
Time
Date	199309
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : vny
State Reference	CA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 9500 msl bound upper : 9500
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : bur tower : roa
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft, Low Wing, 1 Eng, Retractable Gear
Flight Phase	cruise other other other
Route In Use	enroute : on vectors
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time total : 580 flight time type : 250
ASRS Report	252279
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : approach
Qualification	controller : radar
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical non adherence : far other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation
Situations
Airport	procedure or policy : unspecified

Narrative:

In sum: GA private pilot complaint of being shorted his requested fuel at the reno air races. He departed for cma and had to declare an emergency with a diversion to vny with a rough running engine. He had switched tanks and confirmed on the ground that he was shorted fuel prior to departure. Call to FBO disclosed that manager knew of cases of stolen, siphoned, fuel and suggested that was his problem. Reporter states that his aircraft cannot be siphoned due to wing/tank structure. Cites his resolve to always top off when able to observe ground refueling procedures in the future. Fuel gauges on his aircraft were unreliable.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DIVERSION TO ALTERNATE ARPT AFTER EMER DECLARED DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION.

Narrative: IN SUM: GA PVT PLT COMPLAINT OF BEING SHORTED HIS REQUESTED FUEL AT THE RENO AIR RACES. HE DEPARTED FOR CMA AND HAD TO DECLARE AN EMER WITH A DIVERSION TO VNY WITH A ROUGH RUNNING ENG. HE HAD SWITCHED TANKS AND CONFIRMED ON THE GND THAT HE WAS SHORTED FUEL PRIOR TO DEP. CALL TO FBO DISCLOSED THAT MGR KNEW OF CASES OF STOLEN, SIPHONED, FUEL AND SUGGESTED THAT WAS HIS PROB. RPTR STATES THAT HIS ACFT CANNOT BE SIPHONED DUE TO WING/TANK STRUCTURE. CITES HIS RESOLVE TO ALWAYS TOP OFF WHEN ABLE TO OBSERVE GND REFUELING PROCS IN THE FUTURE. FUEL GAUGES ON HIS ACFT WERE UNRELIABLE.

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.