Narrative:

I was scheduled for a local night flight from montgomery field to brown field, gillespie field, palomar, and back to montgomery. I asked the tanks to be topped off. As the dispatcher left, she advised me there was an actual volume of 30 gals of fuel. During the preflight, I checked the tanks that night with my flashlight and saw the fuel was just below the tabs. I estimated then more than 20 gals of fuel. I checked the gauges, battery on, engine off, and saw they indicated more than half full which confirmed my check of the tanks. The round trip was a 2 hour flight, and based on a 6 gph consumption, I estimated I had more than 2 hours and 45 mins required. Reaching 3300 ft MSL on my way back from palomar to montgomery, the engine started to run rough. I checked the gauges. They were reading nearly '0.' I immediately applied mixture high, throttle full forward, carburetor heat on, but the engine kept running rough. I reported my emergency situation to socal approach and asked them to track me to a safe area. They gave a heading of 010 degrees. At this time the engine stopped. I tried to start it, magnetos on both. It didn't. At a gliding speed of 66 KTS I looked for a safe landing area, and advised the controller I was going to land on a road along a lake south of palomar airport, which appeared to me not overcrowded. On the roundout, the right wingtip hit a tree and the airplane spinned to the right and crashed. After the crash I discovered that the dispatcher was wrong about the fuel quantity, and that the fuel gauges had showed higher than the actual fuel amount. Supplemental information from acn 332086: the PIC and I took off after having taken a WX report by phone, and checked the plane. I left the pilot checking the gas, he estimated by a visual check we had over 20 gals and it was confirmed by gauges reading more than half full. After departing from palomar airport, the engine started to slow down, he checked the gauges and saw they read zero. He did the emergency procedures as the engine kept going rough. He contacted socal approach and asked for radar vectoring. Taking the advised bearing to palomar airfield, the engine stopped. He tried to start it but it was hopeless. I thought we were going to land on the highway, but the pilot preferred a smaller road on the right, which was far less crowded, preferring to avoid a car crash as well. We were prepared to crash, and I helped him as much as I could, by telling him the obstacles I could see. At about 3 ft above the road, we hit a tree or something else with the right wing, that spun the plane. We hit the ground by the left, and then slipped on the side. We popped out of the plane after switching off everything and waited for help to come. Callback conversation with reporter acn 332086 revealed the following information: reporter had never flown at night which is why he requested a night demonstration flight. He states that a series of failures led to a forced landing. The flight was originally scheduled to be in another aircraft (it was discovered that the other aircraft did not have adequate fuel for the flight and the airport fuel truck was empty). The aircraft involved in the incident was said to have enough fuel, which reporter indicates impaired the pilot's judgement. The pilot checked the fuel on the long range tanks in the C152 and was not really able to estimate accurately. Reporter states that twice or three times during the flight he told the PIC that the fuel gauges appeared to indicate empty, but the pilot did not recognize the hazard. At the time the hobbs stopped, the aircraft had been in flight for 1.9 hours. The PF had originally estimated that he had 2.5 hours of fuel on board.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C152 PLT PERFORMED AN EMER FORCED LNDG WHEN THE ENG QUIT DURING CLBOUT AS A RESULT OF FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE ACFT STRUCK AN OBSTACLE DURING THE LNDG AND WAS DAMAGED. FORCED LNDG. FUEL EXHAUSTION.

Narrative: I WAS SCHEDULED FOR A LCL NIGHT FLT FROM MONTGOMERY FIELD TO BROWN FIELD, GILLESPIE FIELD, PALOMAR, AND BACK TO MONTGOMERY. I ASKED THE TANKS TO BE TOPPED OFF. AS THE DISPATCHER LEFT, SHE ADVISED ME THERE WAS AN ACTUAL VOLUME OF 30 GALS OF FUEL. DURING THE PREFLT, I CHKED THE TANKS THAT NIGHT WITH MY FLASHLIGHT AND SAW THE FUEL WAS JUST BELOW THE TABS. I ESTIMATED THEN MORE THAN 20 GALS OF FUEL. I CHKED THE GAUGES, BATTERY ON, ENG OFF, AND SAW THEY INDICATED MORE THAN HALF FULL WHICH CONFIRMED MY CHK OF THE TANKS. THE ROUND TRIP WAS A 2 HR FLT, AND BASED ON A 6 GPH CONSUMPTION, I ESTIMATED I HAD MORE THAN 2 HRS AND 45 MINS REQUIRED. REACHING 3300 FT MSL ON MY WAY BACK FROM PALOMAR TO MONTGOMERY, THE ENG STARTED TO RUN ROUGH. I CHKED THE GAUGES. THEY WERE READING NEARLY '0.' I IMMEDIATELY APPLIED MIXTURE HIGH, THROTTLE FULL FORWARD, CARB HEAT ON, BUT THE ENG KEPT RUNNING ROUGH. I RPTED MY EMER SIT TO SOCAL APCH AND ASKED THEM TO TRACK ME TO A SAFE AREA. THEY GAVE A HDG OF 010 DEGS. AT THIS TIME THE ENG STOPPED. I TRIED TO START IT, MAGNETOS ON BOTH. IT DIDN'T. AT A GLIDING SPD OF 66 KTS I LOOKED FOR A SAFE LNDG AREA, AND ADVISED THE CTLR I WAS GOING TO LAND ON A ROAD ALONG A LAKE S OF PALOMAR ARPT, WHICH APPEARED TO ME NOT OVERCROWDED. ON THE ROUNDOUT, THE R WINGTIP HIT A TREE AND THE AIRPLANE SPINNED TO THE R AND CRASHED. AFTER THE CRASH I DISCOVERED THAT THE DISPATCHER WAS WRONG ABOUT THE FUEL QUANTITY, AND THAT THE FUEL GAUGES HAD SHOWED HIGHER THAN THE ACTUAL FUEL AMOUNT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 332086: THE PIC AND I TOOK OFF AFTER HAVING TAKEN A WX RPT BY PHONE, AND CHKED THE PLANE. I LEFT THE PLT CHKING THE GAS, HE ESTIMATED BY A VISUAL CHK WE HAD OVER 20 GALS AND IT WAS CONFIRMED BY GAUGES READING MORE THAN HALF FULL. AFTER DEPARTING FROM PALOMAR ARPT, THE ENG STARTED TO SLOW DOWN, HE CHKED THE GAUGES AND SAW THEY READ ZERO. HE DID THE EMER PROCS AS THE ENG KEPT GOING ROUGH. HE CONTACTED SOCAL APCH AND ASKED FOR RADAR VECTORING. TAKING THE ADVISED BEARING TO PALOMAR AIRFIELD, THE ENG STOPPED. HE TRIED TO START IT BUT IT WAS HOPELESS. I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO LAND ON THE HIGHWAY, BUT THE PLT PREFERRED A SMALLER ROAD ON THE R, WHICH WAS FAR LESS CROWDED, PREFERRING TO AVOID A CAR CRASH AS WELL. WE WERE PREPARED TO CRASH, AND I HELPED HIM AS MUCH AS I COULD, BY TELLING HIM THE OBSTACLES I COULD SEE. AT ABOUT 3 FT ABOVE THE ROAD, WE HIT A TREE OR SOMETHING ELSE WITH THE R WING, THAT SPUN THE PLANE. WE HIT THE GND BY THE L, AND THEN SLIPPED ON THE SIDE. WE POPPED OUT OF THE PLANE AFTER SWITCHING OFF EVERYTHING AND WAITED FOR HELP TO COME. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 332086 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR HAD NEVER FLOWN AT NIGHT WHICH IS WHY HE REQUESTED A NIGHT DEMONSTRATION FLT. HE STATES THAT A SERIES OF FAILURES LED TO A FORCED LNDG. THE FLT WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED TO BE IN ANOTHER ACFT (IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE OTHER ACFT DID NOT HAVE ADEQUATE FUEL FOR THE FLT AND THE ARPT FUEL TRUCK WAS EMPTY). THE ACFT INVOLVED IN THE INCIDENT WAS SAID TO HAVE ENOUGH FUEL, WHICH RPTR INDICATES IMPAIRED THE PLT'S JUDGEMENT. THE PLT CHKED THE FUEL ON THE LONG RANGE TANKS IN THE C152 AND WAS NOT REALLY ABLE TO ESTIMATE ACCURATELY. RPTR STATES THAT TWICE OR THREE TIMES DURING THE FLT HE TOLD THE PIC THAT THE FUEL GAUGES APPEARED TO INDICATE EMPTY, BUT THE PLT DID NOT RECOGNIZE THE HAZARD. AT THE TIME THE HOBBS STOPPED, THE ACFT HAD BEEN IN FLT FOR 1.9 HRS. THE PF HAD ORIGINALLY ESTIMATED THAT HE HAD 2.5 HRS OF FUEL ON BOARD.

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.