Narrative:

We left fort atkinson, wi (61C) IFR for tell city, in. When we were handed off to evansville approach, I asked for the WX at tell city as we would shoot the VOR approach, land, and refuel, and then continue on to the fly-in. I was told tell city had 800 ft ceilings and 6 mi in haze. We shot the approach in the middle of a rainstorm and could not see the runway or anything else. We then contacted evansville approach again and stated we wanted direct to evansville, which I knew had an ILS. Evansville was reporting VFR. Evansville is approximately 50 mi from tell city. I had flown into tell city for fuel several times over the past few yrs with the same airplane, loaded similarly, departing from the same airport, and had never had a problem of low fuel. When evansville approach was contacted, I told them we were low on fuel and requested priority handling. The controller told us to climb to 2500 ft for radar coverage, and fly 270 degree heading direct to evansville. We climbed to 2700 ft. The controller asked us to estimate how much fuel was left and I said about 4 gallons, which was too high an estimate. The engine quit approximately 5 mins later. Both tanks were empty. I set up a glide to land. We were still at 2500 ft and in solid IFR. Evansville stated we should break out bout 2000 ft. We did break out and I set up for a landing on a road. I looked for a hayfield, but could see only corn or bean fields. Just before I was ready to land, a car appeared heading toward me and I landed to the right of the road in a cleared area of the field. I tried to steer the plane back on the road, after the car had passed, but we crossed a ditch and I believe that bent the nosewheel so I could not steer anymore. The right wing of the airplane caught a telephone pole, which spun us around so we ended up facing the opposite direction to which we landed. My passenger was completely unhurt and I was fine except for a small bruise on my left hip and one on my left arm above the elbow. I believe these were caused when the wing caught the pole and we were spun around. I was so busy flying the airplane, solid IFR at times and above a solid overcast the entire trip, that I did not monitor the fuel gauges as I should have. I looked at the gauges and they were indicating half tanks, I looked at them again and they indicated almost empty. Why I did not also keep track of the time we had been in the air I don't know. I was just too distracted with flying the plane (no wing leveler or autoplt). Contributing factors (other than mentioned above): I had been busy working overtime the previous week and did not properly plan this trip. We had substantial headwinds that had not been figured into the flight plan. The WX was not good and was not forecast to get any better for several days. My passenger (navigator) often does extensive preflight planning for me, and this time did not do as much planning. There was considerable indecision prior to the trip regarding departure locations, route, times, etc on the part of both myself and my passenger, and as a result proper flight planning was not done.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: OUT OF FUEL. OFF ARPT LNDG.

Narrative: WE LEFT FORT ATKINSON, WI (61C) IFR FOR TELL CITY, IN. WHEN WE WERE HANDED OFF TO EVANSVILLE APCH, I ASKED FOR THE WX AT TELL CITY AS WE WOULD SHOOT THE VOR APCH, LAND, AND REFUEL, AND THEN CONTINUE ON TO THE FLY-IN. I WAS TOLD TELL CITY HAD 800 FT CEILINGS AND 6 MI IN HAZE. WE SHOT THE APCH IN THE MIDDLE OF A RAINSTORM AND COULD NOT SEE THE RWY OR ANYTHING ELSE. WE THEN CONTACTED EVANSVILLE APCH AGAIN AND STATED WE WANTED DIRECT TO EVANSVILLE, WHICH I KNEW HAD AN ILS. EVANSVILLE WAS RPTING VFR. EVANSVILLE IS APPROX 50 MI FROM TELL CITY. I HAD FLOWN INTO TELL CITY FOR FUEL SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE PAST FEW YRS WITH THE SAME AIRPLANE, LOADED SIMILARLY, DEPARTING FROM THE SAME ARPT, AND HAD NEVER HAD A PROB OF LOW FUEL. WHEN EVANSVILLE APCH WAS CONTACTED, I TOLD THEM WE WERE LOW ON FUEL AND REQUESTED PRIORITY HANDLING. THE CTLR TOLD US TO CLB TO 2500 FT FOR RADAR COVERAGE, AND FLY 270 DEG HDG DIRECT TO EVANSVILLE. WE CLBED TO 2700 FT. THE CTLR ASKED US TO ESTIMATE HOW MUCH FUEL WAS LEFT AND I SAID ABOUT 4 GALLONS, WHICH WAS TOO HIGH AN ESTIMATE. THE ENG QUIT APPROX 5 MINS LATER. BOTH TANKS WERE EMPTY. I SET UP A GLIDE TO LAND. WE WERE STILL AT 2500 FT AND IN SOLID IFR. EVANSVILLE STATED WE SHOULD BREAK OUT BOUT 2000 FT. WE DID BREAK OUT AND I SET UP FOR A LNDG ON A ROAD. I LOOKED FOR A HAYFIELD, BUT COULD SEE ONLY CORN OR BEAN FIELDS. JUST BEFORE I WAS READY TO LAND, A CAR APPEARED HDG TOWARD ME AND I LANDED TO THE R OF THE ROAD IN A CLRED AREA OF THE FIELD. I TRIED TO STEER THE PLANE BACK ON THE ROAD, AFTER THE CAR HAD PASSED, BUT WE CROSSED A DITCH AND I BELIEVE THAT BENT THE NOSEWHEEL SO I COULD NOT STEER ANYMORE. THE R WING OF THE AIRPLANE CAUGHT A TELEPHONE POLE, WHICH SPUN US AROUND SO WE ENDED UP FACING THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO WHICH WE LANDED. MY PAX WAS COMPLETELY UNHURT AND I WAS FINE EXCEPT FOR A SMALL BRUISE ON MY L HIP AND ONE ON MY L ARM ABOVE THE ELBOW. I BELIEVE THESE WERE CAUSED WHEN THE WING CAUGHT THE POLE AND WE WERE SPUN AROUND. I WAS SO BUSY FLYING THE AIRPLANE, SOLID IFR AT TIMES AND ABOVE A SOLID OVCST THE ENTIRE TRIP, THAT I DID NOT MONITOR THE FUEL GAUGES AS I SHOULD HAVE. I LOOKED AT THE GAUGES AND THEY WERE INDICATING HALF TANKS, I LOOKED AT THEM AGAIN AND THEY INDICATED ALMOST EMPTY. WHY I DID NOT ALSO KEEP TRACK OF THE TIME WE HAD BEEN IN THE AIR I DON'T KNOW. I WAS JUST TOO DISTRACTED WITH FLYING THE PLANE (NO WING LEVELER OR AUTOPLT). CONTRIBUTING FACTORS (OTHER THAN MENTIONED ABOVE): I HAD BEEN BUSY WORKING OVERTIME THE PREVIOUS WK AND DID NOT PROPERLY PLAN THIS TRIP. WE HAD SUBSTANTIAL HEADWINDS THAT HAD NOT BEEN FIGURED INTO THE FLT PLAN. THE WX WAS NOT GOOD AND WAS NOT FORECAST TO GET ANY BETTER FOR SEVERAL DAYS. MY PAX (NAVIGATOR) OFTEN DOES EXTENSIVE PREFLT PLANNING FOR ME, AND THIS TIME DID NOT DO AS MUCH PLANNING. THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE INDECISION PRIOR TO THE TRIP REGARDING DEP LOCATIONS, RTE, TIMES, ETC ON THE PART OF BOTH MYSELF AND MY PAX, AND AS A RESULT PROPER FLT PLANNING WAS NOT DONE.

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.