Narrative:

Forced landing due to fuel starvation. Aircraft (C172) lost power at 9500 ft MSL on approach into phx area. Established best glide speed, attempted to make dvt airport, could not locate alternate. Became apparent could not make dvt. Landed on sbound lane of interstate 17 approximately 5 mi northwest of dvt. Forced landing was successful. There were no injuries, no damage to aircraft, no damage to property. Should have insured aircraft was fully topped off for flight. Thought fuel available would be sufficient for flight, but was mistaken. Encountered strong headwinds on return leg which contributed to problem. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated he had 2 passenger. When the engine first quit he was not sure lack of fuel was the cause. The fuel gauges were bouncing off empty. He checked carburetor heat, fuel selector on both, mixture rich, left and right magnetos and ran the engine failure checklist. He pulled the throttle to idle and kicked the rudders to splash the fuel around in the tanks in the wings whereupon the engine started to run. He found by pedaling the rudders he could keep the engine running to the point he was out of the hills and in fact thought for a while he was going to make deer valley airport. He said he was familiar with the straight stretch of interstate 17 he was gliding for when the engine quit completely. He turned on all his landing lights and taxi lights. Some helicopter pilots that happened to be operating in the area saw what was happening and ran interference for him with respect to the cars on the highway. The pilot was on his way to glendale airport and had his radio tuned to glendale CTAF. The tower was closed but someone in the traffic at glendale relayed to phx approach what was happening. The reporter did not want to distract himself with the radio activity of changing frequencys. He did not fly a downwind and base but rather glided straight ahead for the straight-in landing on the highway. He knew he was headed into the wind as headwind is one reason he ran out of fuel. Another reason he ran out of fuel was he did not climb up on the wing to confirm the lineman claim the cessna 172 had been topped off before departing glendale. He had made the trip before in that airplane to overfly the flagstaff area (he did not land) and had plenty of fuel. The landing on the freeway was smooth and he found an area along the median to coast the airplane clear of highway traffic. The county sheriff, the department of public safety (az highway patrol), the television news stations and on-lookers soon gathered. He notified the FAA and after investigation the FAA recommended he take remedial training which he did. The records of the remedial training were placed in his file. The FBO flew the C172 off the freeway back to the glendale airport in the wee hours of the morning with the approval and assistance of the appropriate auths after replenishing the airplane with fuel. There were no damages or injuries.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPTR MAKES FORCED LNDG ON FREEWAY WHEN ENG QUIT FOR LACK OF FUEL.

Narrative: FORCED LNDG DUE TO FUEL STARVATION. ACFT (C172) LOST PWR AT 9500 FT MSL ON APCH INTO PHX AREA. ESTABLISHED BEST GLIDE SPD, ATTEMPTED TO MAKE DVT ARPT, COULD NOT LOCATE ALTERNATE. BECAME APPARENT COULD NOT MAKE DVT. LANDED ON SBOUND LANE OF INTERSTATE 17 APPROX 5 MI NW OF DVT. FORCED LNDG WAS SUCCESSFUL. THERE WERE NO INJURIES, NO DAMAGE TO ACFT, NO DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. SHOULD HAVE INSURED ACFT WAS FULLY TOPPED OFF FOR FLT. THOUGHT FUEL AVAILABLE WOULD BE SUFFICIENT FOR FLT, BUT WAS MISTAKEN. ENCOUNTERED STRONG HEADWINDS ON RETURN LEG WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO PROB. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED HE HAD 2 PAX. WHEN THE ENG FIRST QUIT HE WAS NOT SURE LACK OF FUEL WAS THE CAUSE. THE FUEL GAUGES WERE BOUNCING OFF EMPTY. HE CHKED CARB HEAT, FUEL SELECTOR ON BOTH, MIXTURE RICH, L AND R MAGNETOS AND RAN THE ENG FAILURE CHKLIST. HE PULLED THE THROTTLE TO IDLE AND KICKED THE RUDDERS TO SPLASH THE FUEL AROUND IN THE TANKS IN THE WINGS WHEREUPON THE ENG STARTED TO RUN. HE FOUND BY PEDALING THE RUDDERS HE COULD KEEP THE ENG RUNNING TO THE POINT HE WAS OUT OF THE HILLS AND IN FACT THOUGHT FOR A WHILE HE WAS GOING TO MAKE DEER VALLEY ARPT. HE SAID HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE STRAIGHT STRETCH OF INTERSTATE 17 HE WAS GLIDING FOR WHEN THE ENG QUIT COMPLETELY. HE TURNED ON ALL HIS LNDG LIGHTS AND TAXI LIGHTS. SOME HELI PLTS THAT HAPPENED TO BE OPERATING IN THE AREA SAW WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND RAN INTERFERENCE FOR HIM WITH RESPECT TO THE CARS ON THE HWY. THE PLT WAS ON HIS WAY TO GLENDALE ARPT AND HAD HIS RADIO TUNED TO GLENDALE CTAF. THE TWR WAS CLOSED BUT SOMEONE IN THE TFC AT GLENDALE RELAYED TO PHX APCH WHAT WAS HAPPENING. THE RPTR DID NOT WANT TO DISTRACT HIMSELF WITH THE RADIO ACTIVITY OF CHANGING FREQS. HE DID NOT FLY A DOWNWIND AND BASE BUT RATHER GLIDED STRAIGHT AHEAD FOR THE STRAIGHT-IN LNDG ON THE HWY. HE KNEW HE WAS HEADED INTO THE WIND AS HEADWIND IS ONE REASON HE RAN OUT OF FUEL. ANOTHER REASON HE RAN OUT OF FUEL WAS HE DID NOT CLB UP ON THE WING TO CONFIRM THE LINEMAN CLAIM THE CESSNA 172 HAD BEEN TOPPED OFF BEFORE DEPARTING GLENDALE. HE HAD MADE THE TRIP BEFORE IN THAT AIRPLANE TO OVERFLY THE FLAGSTAFF AREA (HE DID NOT LAND) AND HAD PLENTY OF FUEL. THE LNDG ON THE FREEWAY WAS SMOOTH AND HE FOUND AN AREA ALONG THE MEDIAN TO COAST THE AIRPLANE CLR OF HWY TFC. THE COUNTY SHERIFF, THE DEPT OF PUBLIC SAFETY (AZ HWY PATROL), THE TELEVISION NEWS STATIONS AND ON-LOOKERS SOON GATHERED. HE NOTIFIED THE FAA AND AFTER INVESTIGATION THE FAA RECOMMENDED HE TAKE REMEDIAL TRAINING WHICH HE DID. THE RECORDS OF THE REMEDIAL TRAINING WERE PLACED IN HIS FILE. THE FBO FLEW THE C172 OFF THE FREEWAY BACK TO THE GLENDALE ARPT IN THE WEE HRS OF THE MORNING WITH THE APPROVAL AND ASSISTANCE OF THE APPROPRIATE AUTHS AFTER REPLENISHING THE AIRPLANE WITH FUEL. THERE WERE NO DAMAGES OR INJURIES.

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.