Narrative:

The aircraft involved is a cessna 150 white in color with red accent stripes. It has seat belts and shoulder harnesses, is a fixed gear, fixed pitch propeller airplane with, I believe, an O-200 engine. Fuel consumption is 5 gallons an hour at high throttle. Chain of events: how the problem arose: after being cleared to land at orl on runway 07 and during or after the turn to final there was a loss of power. My recollection is that the RPM went from 2300 to 1700. At that time I was at approximately 1000 ft MSL, either about to be or already lined up with runway 07 and 2 to mi from the airport. Contributing factors: lack of tabs inside the tanks of the 150. Siphoning of fuel out of tanks because of worn seals or not fully locked gas caps. Gascolator drain not seating properly and causing leakage of fuel in flight. How it was discovered: when the engine RPM went to 1700 and did not go to high RPM even after application of full throttle, I determined that the engine was experiencing a power loss. At that time I did not know the reason for this power loss. At least one of the fuel gauges was indicating over 1/4 tank (should be approximately 3 gallons). In my opinion the aircraft's engine was experiencing a partial power loss. It did not respond to full throttle. I called the tower and advised it I had a power loss and required immediate runway (I did not want to have another airplane cleared to land before me and be forced into a go around situation). The rate of descent was too high and the altitude was not sufficient to reach the airport. I decided to attempt a landing on the e-w expressway. I called the tower and told them that I was going down on the e-w. Once the decision was made, my attention focused on landing. I saw that there was an opening between 2 groups of cars. I used the power of the engine and the angle of descent to match the gap with the aircraft. I flew over one set of overhead signs and brought the airplane down in the gap. I was afraid that the cars behind might run into the airplane if I slowed down. There was no room to taxi off the road. I applied power. The engine responded with no problem. I kept the nosewheel off the ground and continued in a high speed taxi down the expressway until I could find a ramp to taxi onto and stop. The first ramp was summerlin. A car was coming up the ramp. It was to my right. It would not allow me to taxi in front of it, it would not move off my right wingtip and kept blowing its klaxon. The ramp was now behind me. I continued in my high speed taxi. Now the cars were beginning to pass on my left and blowing their klaxons as they passed the airplane and, believe it or not, waving at me. I got real concerned when some of the cars got very close to the left wingtip. I moved more to the right. It was then that the right plastic wingtip faring hit a street light. I moved the airplane back to the left. I continued on high speed taxi until the mills on-ramp. Nobody was coming up the ramp. I cut the power, applied brakes and slowed to a halt on the side of the ramp. I pulled the mixture control killing the engine. I turned off the magnetos, the master switch and shut off the fuel supply. I then exited the aircraft and inspected it for any damage. Other than the right wingtip there was no other damage. After the police arrived and at their request, I moved the airplane further into the ramp and chocked the wheels to prevent a rollback. The tanks on the 150 should all be retrofitted with tabs to show 1/2 and 1/4 fuel levels. The gauges, as is evident from my case, are highly inaccurate (showing 1/4 full). A trainer should have a visual method to gauge fuel quantity. A student might not think of the wood dowel method. The gascolator drain should, when released, automatically go to the closed position. If the lever is not shoved back in, the drain remains partially open and fuel leaks. Low fuel appears to have been the cause of the initial power loss. When the banking maneuver was executed air could have gotten into the line and that caused the power loss. Once the airplane was on the ground, I was able to use high throttle to maintain a high speed taxi for a distance of 3/4 to 1MI on the e-w. When the airplane came to a stop, the engine was running and was stopped by pulling the mixture. According to my visual inspection and the gauges, when I left orl, I had around 12 gallons (one slightly over and one at 1/2 of the total fuel load). My flight to leeward was 35 mins or a consumption of 3.5 gallons. That agrees with the gauges at leeward. They read 1/4 and 1/2 or approximately 9 gallons. My return flight was flight planned for 45 mins to allow for a headwind. At a rate of consumption of 5 gallons an hour and one to climb to 1000 ft I had enough fuel for 1.3 to 1.5 hours. I had been in the air for approximately 40 mins when the airplane suffered the power loss. From all the above facts, I must conclude that fuel was lost during the flight or that the gauges or my visual inspection of the fuel in the tanks was highly inaccurate. I have been flying for a long time and in my opinion I would not misjudge fuel (specially since I use a wood dowel to assess tank level). Therefore, I believe that in-flight loss was the cause of the low fuel.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FUEL EXHAUSTION -- OFF ARPT LNDG.

Narrative: THE ACFT INVOLVED IS A CESSNA 150 WHITE IN COLOR WITH RED ACCENT STRIPES. IT HAS SEAT BELTS AND SHOULDER HARNESSES, IS A FIXED GEAR, FIXED PITCH PROP AIRPLANE WITH, I BELIEVE, AN O-200 ENG. FUEL CONSUMPTION IS 5 GALLONS AN HR AT HIGH THROTTLE. CHAIN OF EVENTS: HOW THE PROB AROSE: AFTER BEING CLRED TO LAND AT ORL ON RWY 07 AND DURING OR AFTER THE TURN TO FINAL THERE WAS A LOSS OF PWR. MY RECOLLECTION IS THAT THE RPM WENT FROM 2300 TO 1700. AT THAT TIME I WAS AT APPROX 1000 FT MSL, EITHER ABOUT TO BE OR ALREADY LINED UP WITH RWY 07 AND 2 TO MI FROM THE ARPT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: LACK OF TABS INSIDE THE TANKS OF THE 150. SIPHONING OF FUEL OUT OF TANKS BECAUSE OF WORN SEALS OR NOT FULLY LOCKED GAS CAPS. GASCOLATOR DRAIN NOT SEATING PROPERLY AND CAUSING LEAKAGE OF FUEL IN FLT. HOW IT WAS DISCOVERED: WHEN THE ENG RPM WENT TO 1700 AND DID NOT GO TO HIGH RPM EVEN AFTER APPLICATION OF FULL THROTTLE, I DETERMINED THAT THE ENG WAS EXPERIENCING A PWR LOSS. AT THAT TIME I DID NOT KNOW THE REASON FOR THIS PWR LOSS. AT LEAST ONE OF THE FUEL GAUGES WAS INDICATING OVER 1/4 TANK (SHOULD BE APPROX 3 GALLONS). IN MY OPINION THE ACFT'S ENG WAS EXPERIENCING A PARTIAL PWR LOSS. IT DID NOT RESPOND TO FULL THROTTLE. I CALLED THE TWR AND ADVISED IT I HAD A PWR LOSS AND REQUIRED IMMEDIATE RWY (I DID NOT WANT TO HAVE ANOTHER AIRPLANE CLRED TO LAND BEFORE ME AND BE FORCED INTO A GAR SIT). THE RATE OF DSCNT WAS TOO HIGH AND THE ALT WAS NOT SUFFICIENT TO REACH THE ARPT. I DECIDED TO ATTEMPT A LNDG ON THE E-W EXPRESSWAY. I CALLED THE TWR AND TOLD THEM THAT I WAS GOING DOWN ON THE E-W. ONCE THE DECISION WAS MADE, MY ATTN FOCUSED ON LNDG. I SAW THAT THERE WAS AN OPENING BTWN 2 GROUPS OF CARS. I USED THE PWR OF THE ENG AND THE ANGLE OF DSCNT TO MATCH THE GAP WITH THE ACFT. I FLEW OVER ONE SET OF OVERHEAD SIGNS AND BROUGHT THE AIRPLANE DOWN IN THE GAP. I WAS AFRAID THAT THE CARS BEHIND MIGHT RUN INTO THE AIRPLANE IF I SLOWED DOWN. THERE WAS NO ROOM TO TAXI OFF THE ROAD. I APPLIED PWR. THE ENG RESPONDED WITH NO PROB. I KEPT THE NOSEWHEEL OFF THE GND AND CONTINUED IN A HIGH SPD TAXI DOWN THE EXPRESSWAY UNTIL I COULD FIND A RAMP TO TAXI ONTO AND STOP. THE FIRST RAMP WAS SUMMERLIN. A CAR WAS COMING UP THE RAMP. IT WAS TO MY R. IT WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO TAXI IN FRONT OF IT, IT WOULD NOT MOVE OFF MY R WINGTIP AND KEPT BLOWING ITS KLAXON. THE RAMP WAS NOW BEHIND ME. I CONTINUED IN MY HIGH SPD TAXI. NOW THE CARS WERE BEGINNING TO PASS ON MY L AND BLOWING THEIR KLAXONS AS THEY PASSED THE AIRPLANE AND, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WAVING AT ME. I GOT REAL CONCERNED WHEN SOME OF THE CARS GOT VERY CLOSE TO THE L WINGTIP. I MOVED MORE TO THE R. IT WAS THEN THAT THE R PLASTIC WINGTIP FARING HIT A STREET LIGHT. I MOVED THE AIRPLANE BACK TO THE L. I CONTINUED ON HIGH SPD TAXI UNTIL THE MILLS ON-RAMP. NOBODY WAS COMING UP THE RAMP. I CUT THE PWR, APPLIED BRAKES AND SLOWED TO A HALT ON THE SIDE OF THE RAMP. I PULLED THE MIXTURE CTL KILLING THE ENG. I TURNED OFF THE MAGNETOS, THE MASTER SWITCH AND SHUT OFF THE FUEL SUPPLY. I THEN EXITED THE ACFT AND INSPECTED IT FOR ANY DAMAGE. OTHER THAN THE R WINGTIP THERE WAS NO OTHER DAMAGE. AFTER THE POLICE ARRIVED AND AT THEIR REQUEST, I MOVED THE AIRPLANE FURTHER INTO THE RAMP AND CHOCKED THE WHEELS TO PREVENT A ROLLBACK. THE TANKS ON THE 150 SHOULD ALL BE RETROFITTED WITH TABS TO SHOW 1/2 AND 1/4 FUEL LEVELS. THE GAUGES, AS IS EVIDENT FROM MY CASE, ARE HIGHLY INACCURATE (SHOWING 1/4 FULL). A TRAINER SHOULD HAVE A VISUAL METHOD TO GAUGE FUEL QUANTITY. A STUDENT MIGHT NOT THINK OF THE WOOD DOWEL METHOD. THE GASCOLATOR DRAIN SHOULD, WHEN RELEASED, AUTOMATICALLY GO TO THE CLOSED POS. IF THE LEVER IS NOT SHOVED BACK IN, THE DRAIN REMAINS PARTIALLY OPEN AND FUEL LEAKS. LOW FUEL APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE OF THE INITIAL PWR LOSS. WHEN THE BANKING MANEUVER WAS EXECUTED AIR COULD HAVE GOTTEN INTO THE LINE AND THAT CAUSED THE PWR LOSS. ONCE THE AIRPLANE WAS ON THE GND, I WAS ABLE TO USE HIGH THROTTLE TO MAINTAIN A HIGH SPD TAXI FOR A DISTANCE OF 3/4 TO 1MI ON THE E-W. WHEN THE AIRPLANE CAME TO A STOP, THE ENG WAS RUNNING AND WAS STOPPED BY PULLING THE MIXTURE. ACCORDING TO MY VISUAL INSPECTION AND THE GAUGES, WHEN I LEFT ORL, I HAD AROUND 12 GALLONS (ONE SLIGHTLY OVER AND ONE AT 1/2 OF THE TOTAL FUEL LOAD). MY FLT TO LEEWARD WAS 35 MINS OR A CONSUMPTION OF 3.5 GALLONS. THAT AGREES WITH THE GAUGES AT LEEWARD. THEY READ 1/4 AND 1/2 OR APPROX 9 GALLONS. MY RETURN FLT WAS FLT PLANNED FOR 45 MINS TO ALLOW FOR A HEADWIND. AT A RATE OF CONSUMPTION OF 5 GALLONS AN HR AND ONE TO CLB TO 1000 FT I HAD ENOUGH FUEL FOR 1.3 TO 1.5 HRS. I HAD BEEN IN THE AIR FOR APPROX 40 MINS WHEN THE AIRPLANE SUFFERED THE PWR LOSS. FROM ALL THE ABOVE FACTS, I MUST CONCLUDE THAT FUEL WAS LOST DURING THE FLT OR THAT THE GAUGES OR MY VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE FUEL IN THE TANKS WAS HIGHLY INACCURATE. I HAVE BEEN FLYING FOR A LONG TIME AND IN MY OPINION I WOULD NOT MISJUDGE FUEL (SPECIALLY SINCE I USE A WOOD DOWEL TO ASSESS TANK LEVEL). THEREFORE, I BELIEVE THAT INFLT LOSS WAS THE CAUSE OF THE LOW FUEL.

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.