Fuel starvation forced landing.

Attributes
ACN	318768
Time
Date	199510
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : jwn
State Reference	TN
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	cruise other descent other landing other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 40 flight time total : 2100 flight time type : 1800
ASRS Report	318768
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical conflict : ground critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : investigated
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Took off from cleveland with 6 hours fuel (jauclin body tank). Engine suffered fuel starvation after 4 hours 20 mins. My fault. Problem was in leg from toronto to cleveland. The flight time was too short to complete transferring fuel from the rear tanks to the right wing. I must have left the transfer pump on in cleveland so that after filling up all tanks in cleveland the pump was transferring fuel to a full tank up until the time that I switched to the right tank to drain all the fuel from that tank prior to transferring. I remember finding the fuel selector on the left tank but did not see the position of the transfer pump -- it must have been on the whole time, losing most of the 18 gallons from the rear tank. Hence, fuel exhaustion in 4 hours 20 mins. Never again -- a lesson never to be forgotten. Took off after obtaining more fuel with no difficulty. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter wasn't sure what caused the fuel starvation. It could have been the transfer pump being on in the fuselage tank pumping fuel to the right wing where, if it was already full, it would then pump overboard. Or, when refueling in cle, the fueler may not have filled the tanks as the reporter requested. Had that occurred, the reporter failed to visually check the tanks because it was raining hard and he was reluctant, first, to get wet and second, didn't want to remove the tank caps for fear of water contamination. Regardless of why he ran out of fuel, he did, much to his embarrassment. He was fortunate, however, that the WX was good so he could pick out a field to land in. Though it was a plowed field, his aircraft sustained no damage. He contacted the FAA, who he thinks did a fly-by to check the situation, and they in turn instructed him where to taxi to for takeoff. He obtained some gas from a local service station and made it off fine. Reporter says he learned a valuable lesson -- always check the fuel visually, and has installed a light on the transfer pump to alert him when it's on.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FUEL STARVATION FORCED LNDG.

Narrative: TOOK OFF FROM CLEVELAND WITH 6 HRS FUEL (JAUCLIN BODY TANK). ENG SUFFERED FUEL STARVATION AFTER 4 HRS 20 MINS. MY FAULT. PROB WAS IN LEG FROM TORONTO TO CLEVELAND. THE FLT TIME WAS TOO SHORT TO COMPLETE TRANSFERRING FUEL FROM THE REAR TANKS TO THE R WING. I MUST HAVE LEFT THE TRANSFER PUMP ON IN CLEVELAND SO THAT AFTER FILLING UP ALL TANKS IN CLEVELAND THE PUMP WAS TRANSFERRING FUEL TO A FULL TANK UP UNTIL THE TIME THAT I SWITCHED TO THE R TANK TO DRAIN ALL THE FUEL FROM THAT TANK PRIOR TO TRANSFERRING. I REMEMBER FINDING THE FUEL SELECTOR ON THE L TANK BUT DID NOT SEE THE POS OF THE TRANSFER PUMP -- IT MUST HAVE BEEN ON THE WHOLE TIME, LOSING MOST OF THE 18 GALLONS FROM THE REAR TANK. HENCE, FUEL EXHAUSTION IN 4 HRS 20 MINS. NEVER AGAIN -- A LESSON NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN. TOOK OFF AFTER OBTAINING MORE FUEL WITH NO DIFFICULTY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR WASN'T SURE WHAT CAUSED THE FUEL STARVATION. IT COULD HAVE BEEN THE TRANSFER PUMP BEING ON IN THE FUSELAGE TANK PUMPING FUEL TO THE R WING WHERE, IF IT WAS ALREADY FULL, IT WOULD THEN PUMP OVERBOARD. OR, WHEN REFUELING IN CLE, THE FUELER MAY NOT HAVE FILLED THE TANKS AS THE RPTR REQUESTED. HAD THAT OCCURRED, THE RPTR FAILED TO VISUALLY CHK THE TANKS BECAUSE IT WAS RAINING HARD AND HE WAS RELUCTANT, FIRST, TO GET WET AND SECOND, DIDN'T WANT TO REMOVE THE TANK CAPS FOR FEAR OF WATER CONTAMINATION. REGARDLESS OF WHY HE RAN OUT OF FUEL, HE DID, MUCH TO HIS EMBARRASSMENT. HE WAS FORTUNATE, HOWEVER, THAT THE WX WAS GOOD SO HE COULD PICK OUT A FIELD TO LAND IN. THOUGH IT WAS A PLOWED FIELD, HIS ACFT SUSTAINED NO DAMAGE. HE CONTACTED THE FAA, WHO HE THINKS DID A FLY-BY TO CHK THE SIT, AND THEY IN TURN INSTRUCTED HIM WHERE TO TAXI TO FOR TKOF. HE OBTAINED SOME GAS FROM A LCL SVC STATION AND MADE IT OFF FINE. RPTR SAYS HE LEARNED A VALUABLE LESSON -- ALWAYS CHK THE FUEL VISUALLY, AND HAS INSTALLED A LIGHT ON THE TRANSFER PUMP TO ALERT HIM WHEN IT'S ON.

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.