Narrative:

My boss was having a conflict with the local airport management and told me to start buying fuel away from our home base. The trip before this one I had the plane topped off before returning home. The baron I fly holds 5.4 hours worth of fuel at the power settings I use, and flew 1 hour 20 mins to our home base. During preflight on the next trip, I found the fuel the way I anticipated it to be down from the cap on the auxiliary and mains, but fuel in all tanks. (Preflight was done in a dark hangar with a flashlight). Also during preflight, I noted that the hobbs meter was as I left it. I took off on what was to be a 2 hour 10-20 min flight feeling I should land at our destination with an hour and a half of fuel in the tanks. About 50 mins into the trip the gauges for the auxiliary tanks were into the yellow, I thought to myself that it burned that amount rather quickly but talked myself into thinking fuel gauges are never very accurate and that there has to be plenty of fuel in the main tanks yet. I switched back to the mains and switched the gauge switch to the mains. As I did this, I noted the individual gauges for each tank weren't equal on the auxiliary or mains, as far as left auxiliary and mains having more fuel. Seeing these indications reassured my feelings that the gauges are wrong. One hour after switching to the mains (1 hour 50 mins into the flight) my left engine started to miss. I switched the left side back to auxiliary and declared an emergency. ZKC asked the nature of my emergency and I told them I had a fuel emergency and wanted vectors to the nearest airport. He turned me to a heading of 330 degrees, told me pittsfield is 12 mi, gave me the NDB frequency, and the closest reported WX. As he was doing this, I tuned my ADF and LORAN to pittsfield. While we were doing this, my right engine started missing, so I switched that side back to auxiliary I was now 10 mi from the airport and had it in sight. The heading and distance was just as he called it. At 5 mi from the airport, I canceled the emergency and IFR flight plan and told him that I was remaining on his frequency. On landing rollout the right engine stopped. I watched as they fueled and noticed the left side had 15 gallons in the auxiliary tank yet. Hmmm! After that, we competed the rest of the trip and after returning home I started hearing stories of others in our hangar and on the field having had fuel taken out of their planes. New company policy -- full fuel on every departure unless weight restrictions.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF AN SMT TWIN DIVERTED TO LAND DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION.

Narrative: MY BOSS WAS HAVING A CONFLICT WITH THE LCL ARPT MGMNT AND TOLD ME TO START BUYING FUEL AWAY FROM OUR HOME BASE. THE TRIP BEFORE THIS ONE I HAD THE PLANE TOPPED OFF BEFORE RETURNING HOME. THE BARON I FLY HOLDS 5.4 HRS WORTH OF FUEL AT THE PWR SETTINGS I USE, AND FLEW 1 HR 20 MINS TO OUR HOME BASE. DURING PREFLT ON THE NEXT TRIP, I FOUND THE FUEL THE WAY I ANTICIPATED IT TO BE DOWN FROM THE CAP ON THE AUX AND MAINS, BUT FUEL IN ALL TANKS. (PREFLT WAS DONE IN A DARK HANGAR WITH A FLASHLIGHT). ALSO DURING PREFLT, I NOTED THAT THE HOBBS METER WAS AS I LEFT IT. I TOOK OFF ON WHAT WAS TO BE A 2 HR 10-20 MIN FLT FEELING I SHOULD LAND AT OUR DEST WITH AN HR AND A HALF OF FUEL IN THE TANKS. ABOUT 50 MINS INTO THE TRIP THE GAUGES FOR THE AUX TANKS WERE INTO THE YELLOW, I THOUGHT TO MYSELF THAT IT BURNED THAT AMOUNT RATHER QUICKLY BUT TALKED MYSELF INTO THINKING FUEL GAUGES ARE NEVER VERY ACCURATE AND THAT THERE HAS TO BE PLENTY OF FUEL IN THE MAIN TANKS YET. I SWITCHED BACK TO THE MAINS AND SWITCHED THE GAUGE SWITCH TO THE MAINS. AS I DID THIS, I NOTED THE INDIVIDUAL GAUGES FOR EACH TANK WEREN'T EQUAL ON THE AUX OR MAINS, AS FAR AS L AUX AND MAINS HAVING MORE FUEL. SEEING THESE INDICATIONS REASSURED MY FEELINGS THAT THE GAUGES ARE WRONG. ONE HR AFTER SWITCHING TO THE MAINS (1 HR 50 MINS INTO THE FLT) MY L ENG STARTED TO MISS. I SWITCHED THE L SIDE BACK TO AUX AND DECLARED AN EMER. ZKC ASKED THE NATURE OF MY EMER AND I TOLD THEM I HAD A FUEL EMER AND WANTED VECTORS TO THE NEAREST ARPT. HE TURNED ME TO A HDG OF 330 DEGS, TOLD ME PITTSFIELD IS 12 MI, GAVE ME THE NDB FREQ, AND THE CLOSEST RPTED WX. AS HE WAS DOING THIS, I TUNED MY ADF AND LORAN TO PITTSFIELD. WHILE WE WERE DOING THIS, MY R ENG STARTED MISSING, SO I SWITCHED THAT SIDE BACK TO AUX I WAS NOW 10 MI FROM THE ARPT AND HAD IT IN SIGHT. THE HDG AND DISTANCE WAS JUST AS HE CALLED IT. AT 5 MI FROM THE ARPT, I CANCELED THE EMER AND IFR FLT PLAN AND TOLD HIM THAT I WAS REMAINING ON HIS FREQ. ON LNDG ROLLOUT THE R ENG STOPPED. I WATCHED AS THEY FUELED AND NOTICED THE L SIDE HAD 15 GALLONS IN THE AUX TANK YET. HMMM! AFTER THAT, WE COMPETED THE REST OF THE TRIP AND AFTER RETURNING HOME I STARTED HEARING STORIES OF OTHERS IN OUR HANGAR AND ON THE FIELD HAVING HAD FUEL TAKEN OUT OF THEIR PLANES. NEW COMPANY POLICY -- FULL FUEL ON EVERY DEP UNLESS WT RESTRICTIONS.

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.