Narrative:

I was flying from the lincoln municipal airport en route to la junta airport in colorado. Flight conditions were dark with about a 6000 ft overcast. About 40 mi southwest of lincoln, at an altitude of 6000 ft MSL the engine with no warning, totally quit. At the time of engine failure I had been in the clouds for about 2 mins. I then did my homemade before landing/engine failure checklist. I attempted restart using this procedure, for about 1.5 mins, I think. Now at an altitude of about 5000 ft MSL I called center and said 'ZMP, comanche I'm having problems.'I waited a couple of seconds and had no response. I then said 'ZMP, comanche declaring emergency, I lost my engine, can you give me a vector to the nearest airport?' the controller came back and said 'comanche there's an apart about a 330 degree from you at 11 mi. With a strong north wind I knew I wouldn't make it and advised the controller that I couldn't make it that far. Using the above procedure for restart I switched the fuel selector valve to the right tank (I had started the flight using the left tank, and didn't change it until the engine failure). I now switched the fuel selector valve back to the left tank. About 30 seconds after I had switched it back to the left tank the engine started to run again. It ran strong for about 10 seconds, then totally quit again. It ran strong for about 10 seconds, then totally quit again. I suspected carburetor ice but the carburetor heat yielded no affect. With one last effort to attempt restart before preparing for crash landing I moved the fuel selector valve to the right tank once again. I don't recall ever looking at the gas gauges for each tank. I had been in the air for about 30 minutes, and had full tanks before I left. About 10 seconds from me going through the shutdown procedure, the engine started again. It ran really rough for about 3-4 mins as I was able to just hold altitude at 80 KTS. The longer it ran, the better it ran, and I was able to climb to 7000 ft MSL. I called center and told them I was going to land in harvard airport, about 5 mi north of me at this time. At the airport I took fuel samples, and noticed no water in the fuel, but some contaminates that looked like an eroded gasket. I never checked fuel quantity visually, or otherwise at harvard airport. The next day I called the company the airplane belongs to, and they told me that they had sent a mechanic, and pilot out to the airport to fix if necessary, and fly the plane back. When they got back in lincoln they told me that when they left harvard state airport the left tank was completely empty, and the right tank was about 3/4 full. My total flight was about 45 mins long and a comanche burns about 14 gallons an hour. The comanche holds 60 gallons and with 45 gallons unaccounted for, I got really confused. It was pretty obvious that I had fuel starvation. I think the left tank became empty, and that's why the engine quit. Then when I switched it to the other tank I didn't give it enough time to get fuel from that tank to the engine. Then I switched it back to the left tank. This is where I got a short burst of power, then dead again. This would make sense if it got and airlock in fuel lines. I am absolutely without a doubt positive that the tanks were full before I took-off out of lincoln. I even remember having to walk back inside the FBO in lincoln to get a flashlight to visually check the fuel quantity. The mechanics found nothing wrong with the plane when they arrived at harvard airport the next day. No broken fuel lines, or anything. Still though now only a day after the incident I don't know where the fuel went. I didn't check the fuel when I landed at harvard for quantity.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FUEL STARVATION IN A PA-24 DURING A NIGHT OP.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING FROM THE LINCOLN MUNICIPAL ARPT ENRTE TO LA JUNTA ARPT IN COLORADO. FLT CONDITIONS WERE DARK WITH ABOUT A 6000 FT OVERCAST. ABOUT 40 MI SOUTHWEST OF LINCOLN, AT AN ALT OF 6000 FT MSL THE ENG WITH NO WARNING, TOTALLY QUIT. AT THE TIME OF ENG FAILURE I HAD BEEN IN THE CLOUDS FOR ABOUT 2 MINS. I THEN DID MY HOMEMADE BEFORE LNDG/ENG FAILURE CHKLIST. I ATTEMPTED RESTART USING THIS PROC, FOR ABOUT 1.5 MINS, I THINK. NOW AT AN ALT OF ABOUT 5000 FT MSL I CALLED CTR AND SAID 'ZMP, COMANCHE I'M HAVING PROBS.'I WAITED A COUPLE OF SECONDS AND HAD NO RESPONSE. I THEN SAID 'ZMP, COMANCHE DECLARING EMER, I LOST MY ENG, CAN YOU GIVE ME A VECTOR TO THE NEAREST ARPT?' THE CTLR CAME BACK AND SAID 'COMANCHE THERE'S AN APART ABOUT A 330 DEG FROM YOU AT 11 MI. WITH A STRONG N WIND I KNEW I WOULDN'T MAKE IT AND ADVISED THE CTLR THAT I COULDN'T MAKE IT THAT FAR. USING THE ABOVE PROC FOR RESTART I SWITCHED THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE TO THE R TANK (I HAD STARTED THE FLT USING THE L TANK, AND DIDN'T CHANGE IT UNTIL THE ENG FAILURE). I NOW SWITCHED THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE BACK TO THE L TANK. ABOUT 30 SECONDS AFTER I HAD SWITCHED IT BACK TO THE L TANK THE ENG STARTED TO RUN AGAIN. IT RAN STRONG FOR ABOUT 10 SECONDS, THEN TOTALLY QUIT AGAIN. IT RAN STRONG FOR ABOUT 10 SECONDS, THEN TOTALLY QUIT AGAIN. I SUSPECTED CARB ICE BUT THE CARB HEAT YIELDED NO AFFECT. WITH ONE LAST EFFORT TO ATTEMPT RESTART BEFORE PREPARING FOR CRASH LNDG I MOVED THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE TO THE R TANK ONCE AGAIN. I DON'T RECALL EVER LOOKING AT THE GAS GAUGES FOR EACH TANK. I HAD BEEN IN THE AIR FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES, AND HAD FULL TANKS BEFORE I LEFT. ABOUT 10 SECONDS FROM ME GOING THROUGH THE SHUTDOWN PROC, THE ENG STARTED AGAIN. IT RAN REALLY ROUGH FOR ABOUT 3-4 MINS AS I WAS ABLE TO JUST HOLD ALT AT 80 KTS. THE LONGER IT RAN, THE BETTER IT RAN, AND I WAS ABLE TO CLB TO 7000 FT MSL. I CALLED CTR AND TOLD THEM I WAS GOING TO LAND IN HARVARD ARPT, ABOUT 5 MI N OF ME AT THIS TIME. AT THE ARPT I TOOK FUEL SAMPLES, AND NOTICED NO WATER IN THE FUEL, BUT SOME CONTAMINATES THAT LOOKED LIKE AN ERODED GASKET. I NEVER CHECKED FUEL QUANTITY VISUALLY, OR OTHERWISE AT HARVARD ARPT. THE NEXT DAY I CALLED THE COMPANY THE AIRPLANE BELONGS TO, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD SENT A MECHANIC, AND PLT OUT TO THE ARPT TO FIX IF NECESSARY, AND FLY THE PLANE BACK. WHEN THEY GOT BACK IN LINCOLN THEY TOLD ME THAT WHEN THEY LEFT HARVARD STATE ARPT THE L TANK WAS COMPLETELY EMPTY, AND THE R TANK WAS ABOUT 3/4 FULL. MY TOTAL FLT WAS ABOUT 45 MINS LONG AND A COMANCHE BURNS ABOUT 14 GALLONS AN HR. THE COMANCHE HOLDS 60 GALLONS AND WITH 45 GALLONS UNACCOUNTED FOR, I GOT REALLY CONFUSED. IT WAS PRETTY OBVIOUS THAT I HAD FUEL STARVATION. I THINK THE L TANK BECAME EMPTY, AND THAT'S WHY THE ENG QUIT. THEN WHEN I SWITCHED IT TO THE OTHER TANK I DIDN'T GIVE IT ENOUGH TIME TO GET FUEL FROM THAT TANK TO THE ENG. THEN I SWITCHED IT BACK TO THE L TANK. THIS IS WHERE I GOT A SHORT BURST OF PWR, THEN DEAD AGAIN. THIS WOULD MAKE SENSE IF IT GOT AND AIRLOCK IN FUEL LINES. I AM ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT A DOUBT POSITIVE THAT THE TANKS WERE FULL BEFORE I TOOK-OFF OUT OF LINCOLN. I EVEN REMEMBER HAVING TO WALK BACK INSIDE THE FBO IN LINCOLN TO GET A FLASHLIGHT TO VISUALLY CHECK THE FUEL QUANTITY. THE MECHANICS FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE PLANE WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT HARVARD ARPT THE NEXT DAY. NO BROKEN FUEL LINES, OR ANYTHING. STILL THOUGH NOW ONLY A DAY AFTER THE INCIDENT I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE FUEL WENT. I DIDN'T CHK THE FUEL WHEN I LANDED AT HARVARD FOR QUANTITY.

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.