Narrative:

On my 131ST trip from camarillo, ca, to yolo county, ca, I was forced to divert 5 times and finally land at an unlit airport at night with only 2.3 gallons of fuel remaining. Lake tahoe was 35 mi further east. I had never considered it a viable divert because it is at 6264 ft MSL and I had to cross some 9000 ft plus ridge lines to get to it. The service ceiling of the AA1B was 10000 ft. I asked ZOA if they had the WX for tahoe and was told that there was no WX reporting for tahoe this late at night. Again an airliner came to the rescue and told me that they had just passed overhead and lake tahoe was clear. I told center that I was diverting to tahoe, but they recommended georgetown airport which was 18 mi north of placerville. I asked if they had the WX and they passed me a 10 min old PIREP that the airport was clear. I rejected their recommendation since the georgetown airport elevation was only 5 ft higher than placerville's. Center then gave me a heading back to the west to avoid terrain and a climb to 11000 ft. I told them I didn't have the gas to climb toward the west and that I couldn't make 11000 ft. I continued to the east in a climb. At this point they told me that they couldn't guarantee terrain separation and to state my intentions. I told them I was at minimum fuel and that I was proceeding VFR. The grumman climbs at 660 FPM at sea level, but I was only doing half of that because of the altitude. At best I was climbing only 200 ft for every mi I was traveling east into rising terrain. The question was whether the airplane could climb faster than the terrain and whether I had the gas to make tahoe. I estimated my gas to be about 4 gallons. In a straight and level cruise, I get about 15 mi a gallon, but in a climb it is half of that. Whether I could get to 10000 ft, make 35 mi and not run out of gas was an answer I didn't know. As I climbed for the next 20 mins, I followed the occasional headlights on united states highway 50, which connects placerville and tahoe. I figured the terrain was lower over the highway. I turned all cockpit instrument lights off to maximize my night vision. All I could see around me was the dark mass of mountains. Passing 9300 ft, I could make out the lights of tahoe through a pass in the ridge line. I throttled back to maximum range power and shot through the pass (the next day I found out that I had crossed the ridge at 100 ft). I asked ZOA what the tower frequency was. They gave me 118.5. I thanked them and told them I was switching. At this late at night the tower was closed. I clicked my microphone 5 times, expecting to see the runway lights come on. Nothing happened. I tried again. I switched back to center and asked them again what the frequency was. Again 118.5. I switched back again and clicked my microphone 5 times for the runway lights. Still no joy. At this point I could see the rotating beacon (which stays on all night) and a dark area next to it, which must be the airport. This dark area was surrounded by the city lights of lake tahoe. I decided to pull out my sectional and confirm the tower frequency. I closed one eye to conserve my night vision in at least one eye and turned on my flashlight. A quick check, yes looks like 118.5 (the frequency was 118.4, but expecting to see 118.5, I had misread it). Ok I thought, the runway lights must be inoperative. My fuel gauges were now reading empty. So here's the situation: a night landing on a runway I have never seen, no runway lights, rising terrain inside a mi on 3 sides, no gas, and no night vision in one eye. In my 4200 hours, the fun meter has never been pegged this high. The only thing I had going for me was that the runway was over 8000 ft long. I flew an overhead pattern using the rotating beacon as my reference. I leveled off 100 ft above field elevation and looked for the field in my landing light. I was lined up 10 ft left. A side-step right and I touched down 1/2 way down the runway. P.south. The next morning I found out that I had used 28.7 of a total of 31 usable gallons and had been airborne for 4.3 hours, the predicted maximum endurance of this airplane. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter said that he now checks the WX at mcc and mhr because of their location and because the military is more pessimistic than the commercial WX sources. He said that he will continue to wear his parachute just in case.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN EXPERIENCED GA PLT GETS CAUGHT IN AN EXTENSIVE FOG AND LOW VISIBILITY WX SYS AND ALMOST RUNS OUT OF FUEL BEFORE FINALLY LNDG LATE AT NIGHT AT AN ARPT SOME DISTANCE FROM HIS ORIGINAL DEST.

Narrative: ON MY 131ST TRIP FROM CAMARILLO, CA, TO YOLO COUNTY, CA, I WAS FORCED TO DIVERT 5 TIMES AND FINALLY LAND AT AN UNLIT ARPT AT NIGHT WITH ONLY 2.3 GALLONS OF FUEL REMAINING. LAKE TAHOE WAS 35 MI FURTHER E. I HAD NEVER CONSIDERED IT A VIABLE DIVERT BECAUSE IT IS AT 6264 FT MSL AND I HAD TO CROSS SOME 9000 FT PLUS RIDGE LINES TO GET TO IT. THE SVC CEILING OF THE AA1B WAS 10000 FT. I ASKED ZOA IF THEY HAD THE WX FOR TAHOE AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NO WX RPTING FOR TAHOE THIS LATE AT NIGHT. AGAIN AN AIRLINER CAME TO THE RESCUE AND TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD JUST PASSED OVERHEAD AND LAKE TAHOE WAS CLR. I TOLD CTR THAT I WAS DIVERTING TO TAHOE, BUT THEY RECOMMENDED GEORGETOWN ARPT WHICH WAS 18 MI N OF PLACERVILLE. I ASKED IF THEY HAD THE WX AND THEY PASSED ME A 10 MIN OLD PIREP THAT THE ARPT WAS CLR. I REJECTED THEIR RECOMMENDATION SINCE THE GEORGETOWN ARPT ELEVATION WAS ONLY 5 FT HIGHER THAN PLACERVILLE'S. CTR THEN GAVE ME A HDG BACK TO THE W TO AVOID TERRAIN AND A CLB TO 11000 FT. I TOLD THEM I DIDN'T HAVE THE GAS TO CLB TOWARD THE W AND THAT I COULDN'T MAKE 11000 FT. I CONTINUED TO THE E IN A CLB. AT THIS POINT THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY COULDN'T GUARANTEE TERRAIN SEPARATION AND TO STATE MY INTENTIONS. I TOLD THEM I WAS AT MINIMUM FUEL AND THAT I WAS PROCEEDING VFR. THE GRUMMAN CLBS AT 660 FPM AT SEA LEVEL, BUT I WAS ONLY DOING HALF OF THAT BECAUSE OF THE ALT. AT BEST I WAS CLBING ONLY 200 FT FOR EVERY MI I WAS TRAVELING E INTO RISING TERRAIN. THE QUESTION WAS WHETHER THE AIRPLANE COULD CLB FASTER THAN THE TERRAIN AND WHETHER I HAD THE GAS TO MAKE TAHOE. I ESTIMATED MY GAS TO BE ABOUT 4 GALLONS. IN A STRAIGHT AND LEVEL CRUISE, I GET ABOUT 15 MI A GALLON, BUT IN A CLB IT IS HALF OF THAT. WHETHER I COULD GET TO 10000 FT, MAKE 35 MI AND NOT RUN OUT OF GAS WAS AN ANSWER I DIDN'T KNOW. AS I CLBED FOR THE NEXT 20 MINS, I FOLLOWED THE OCCASIONAL HEADLIGHTS ON UNITED STATES HIGHWAY 50, WHICH CONNECTS PLACERVILLE AND TAHOE. I FIGURED THE TERRAIN WAS LOWER OVER THE HWY. I TURNED ALL COCKPIT INST LIGHTS OFF TO MAXIMIZE MY NIGHT VISION. ALL I COULD SEE AROUND ME WAS THE DARK MASS OF MOUNTAINS. PASSING 9300 FT, I COULD MAKE OUT THE LIGHTS OF TAHOE THROUGH A PASS IN THE RIDGE LINE. I THROTTLED BACK TO MAX RANGE PWR AND SHOT THROUGH THE PASS (THE NEXT DAY I FOUND OUT THAT I HAD CROSSED THE RIDGE AT 100 FT). I ASKED ZOA WHAT THE TWR FREQ WAS. THEY GAVE ME 118.5. I THANKED THEM AND TOLD THEM I WAS SWITCHING. AT THIS LATE AT NIGHT THE TWR WAS CLOSED. I CLICKED MY MIKE 5 TIMES, EXPECTING TO SEE THE RWY LIGHTS COME ON. NOTHING HAPPENED. I TRIED AGAIN. I SWITCHED BACK TO CTR AND ASKED THEM AGAIN WHAT THE FREQ WAS. AGAIN 118.5. I SWITCHED BACK AGAIN AND CLICKED MY MIKE 5 TIMES FOR THE RWY LIGHTS. STILL NO JOY. AT THIS POINT I COULD SEE THE ROTATING BEACON (WHICH STAYS ON ALL NIGHT) AND A DARK AREA NEXT TO IT, WHICH MUST BE THE ARPT. THIS DARK AREA WAS SURROUNDED BY THE CITY LIGHTS OF LAKE TAHOE. I DECIDED TO PULL OUT MY SECTIONAL AND CONFIRM THE TWR FREQ. I CLOSED ONE EYE TO CONSERVE MY NIGHT VISION IN AT LEAST ONE EYE AND TURNED ON MY FLASHLIGHT. A QUICK CHK, YES LOOKS LIKE 118.5 (THE FREQ WAS 118.4, BUT EXPECTING TO SEE 118.5, I HAD MISREAD IT). OK I THOUGHT, THE RWY LIGHTS MUST BE INOP. MY FUEL GAUGES WERE NOW READING EMPTY. SO HERE'S THE SIT: A NIGHT LNDG ON A RWY I HAVE NEVER SEEN, NO RWY LIGHTS, RISING TERRAIN INSIDE A MI ON 3 SIDES, NO GAS, AND NO NIGHT VISION IN ONE EYE. IN MY 4200 HRS, THE FUN METER HAS NEVER BEEN PEGGED THIS HIGH. THE ONLY THING I HAD GOING FOR ME WAS THAT THE RWY WAS OVER 8000 FT LONG. I FLEW AN OVERHEAD PATTERN USING THE ROTATING BEACON AS MY REF. I LEVELED OFF 100 FT ABOVE FIELD ELEVATION AND LOOKED FOR THE FIELD IN MY LNDG LIGHT. I WAS LINED UP 10 FT L. A SIDE-STEP R AND I TOUCHED DOWN 1/2 WAY DOWN THE RWY. P.S. THE NEXT MORNING I FOUND OUT THAT I HAD USED 28.7 OF A TOTAL OF 31 USABLE GALLONS AND HAD BEEN AIRBORNE FOR 4.3 HRS, THE PREDICTED MAX ENDURANCE OF THIS AIRPLANE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID THAT HE NOW CHKS THE WX AT MCC AND MHR BECAUSE OF THEIR LOCATION AND BECAUSE THE MIL IS MORE PESSIMISTIC THAN THE COMMERCIAL WX SOURCES. HE SAID THAT HE WILL CONTINUE TO WEAR HIS PARACHUTE JUST IN CASE.

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.