Narrative:

I'm a student pilot from portugal, and I came to the united states to do my commercial pilot course. I was doing my cross country, and I was flying to blythe VOR on the 180 degree radial. I noticed engine roughness and a drop of RPM, from 2300 RPM to 1900 RPM. I looked for something wrong inside the cockpit but everything was ok, but the RPM was still on 1900 RPM. So I applied carburetor heat and the RPM increased to 2300 RPM. Few moments later the RPM dropped to 1200 RPM and I couldn't maintain the altitude, I suspected engine failure. I did the procedures for this situation and I selected a road for a forced landing. Before landing I tried to contact the last frequency (yuma approach) but nobody answered. So I landed without problems and I parked the aircraft on the right side of the road. I suspected that the problem was due to fuel exhaustion, I checked the wing tanks visually and they were empty. A few moments later a police car arrived and the officer contacted a person in blythe airport to bring me fuel. He came out and refueled the tanks. The police cars blocked the road for takeoff. While I was taxiing, I was concerned about my flight plan and I was tuning the frequency for flight service station. I crashed into a road traffic post sign with the right wing tip. After that I shut off the engine and parked the aircraft on the left side of the road. A mechanic was called, and arrived. He informed me that the flight school staff will arrive at the scene, shortly. After their arrival it was concluded that the aircraft was not flyable due to the damage. Supplemental information from acn 303958: this letter concerns my current private pilot student. This gentlemen came here (to USA) in order to complete his flight training. At the time of arrival he had already accumulated about 60 hours of flight time. He was assigned a flight instructor and continued his flight training immediately. He was almost ready to take his private pilot chkride when his flight instructor got another flying job and left our flight school. With 1 short dual cross country and also a long solo cross country left, I was assigned to fly with me by our operations manager. We have flown a 2 hour cross country flight and I signed him off for his solo cross country. Today he went on his long cross country and ran out of fuel. Now the question is, is this my fault or his previous instructor's irresponsibility to each the student if there is enough fuel or not.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A STUDENT PLT ON A SOLO XCOUNTRY EXPERIENCED ON ENG FAILURE (FUEL STARVATION), AND LANDED ON A ROAD. ACFT WAS FUELED, TKOF ATTEMPTED, BUT ACFT WING STRUCK A SIGN.

Narrative: I'M A STUDENT PLT FROM PORTUGAL, AND I CAME TO THE UNITED STATES TO DO MY COMMERCIAL PLT COURSE. I WAS DOING MY XCOUNTRY, AND I WAS FLYING TO BLYTHE VOR ON THE 180 DEG RADIAL. I NOTICED ENG ROUGHNESS AND A DROP OF RPM, FROM 2300 RPM TO 1900 RPM. I LOOKED FOR SOMETHING WRONG INSIDE THE COCKPIT BUT EVERYTHING WAS OK, BUT THE RPM WAS STILL ON 1900 RPM. SO I APPLIED CARB HEAT AND THE RPM INCREASED TO 2300 RPM. FEW MOMENTS LATER THE RPM DROPPED TO 1200 RPM AND I COULDN'T MAINTAIN THE ALT, I SUSPECTED ENG FAILURE. I DID THE PROCS FOR THIS SIT AND I SELECTED A ROAD FOR A FORCED LNDG. BEFORE LNDG I TRIED TO CONTACT THE LAST FREQ (YUMA APCH) BUT NOBODY ANSWERED. SO I LANDED WITHOUT PROBS AND I PARKED THE ACFT ON THE R SIDE OF THE ROAD. I SUSPECTED THAT THE PROB WAS DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION, I CHKED THE WING TANKS VISUALLY AND THEY WERE EMPTY. A FEW MOMENTS LATER A POLICE CAR ARRIVED AND THE OFFICER CONTACTED A PERSON IN BLYTHE ARPT TO BRING ME FUEL. HE CAME OUT AND REFUELED THE TANKS. THE POLICE CARS BLOCKED THE ROAD FOR TKOF. WHILE I WAS TAXIING, I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT MY FLT PLAN AND I WAS TUNING THE FREQ FOR FLT SVC STATION. I CRASHED INTO A ROAD TFC POST SIGN WITH THE R WING TIP. AFTER THAT I SHUT OFF THE ENG AND PARKED THE ACFT ON THE L SIDE OF THE ROAD. A MECH WAS CALLED, AND ARRIVED. HE INFORMED ME THAT THE FLT SCHOOL STAFF WILL ARRIVE AT THE SCENE, SHORTLY. AFTER THEIR ARR IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT THE ACFT WAS NOT FLYABLE DUE TO THE DAMAGE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 303958: THIS LETTER CONCERNS MY CURRENT PVT PLT STUDENT. THIS GENTLEMEN CAME HERE (TO USA) IN ORDER TO COMPLETE HIS FLT TRAINING. AT THE TIME OF ARR HE HAD ALREADY ACCUMULATED ABOUT 60 HRS OF FLT TIME. HE WAS ASSIGNED A FLT INSTRUCTOR AND CONTINUED HIS FLT TRAINING IMMEDIATELY. HE WAS ALMOST READY TO TAKE HIS PVT PLT CHKRIDE WHEN HIS FLT INSTRUCTOR GOT ANOTHER FLYING JOB AND LEFT OUR FLT SCHOOL. WITH 1 SHORT DUAL XCOUNTRY AND ALSO A LONG SOLO XCOUNTRY LEFT, I WAS ASSIGNED TO FLY WITH ME BY OUR OPS MGR. WE HAVE FLOWN A 2 HR XCOUNTRY FLT AND I SIGNED HIM OFF FOR HIS SOLO XCOUNTRY. TODAY HE WENT ON HIS LONG XCOUNTRY AND RAN OUT OF FUEL. NOW THE QUESTION IS, IS THIS MY FAULT OR HIS PREVIOUS INSTRUCTOR'S IRRESPONSIBILITY TO EACH THE STUDENT IF THERE IS ENOUGH FUEL OR NOT.

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.