Narrative:

Forced landing without power. Reporter pilot did something last month many pilots hope they will never have to do -- land an airplane in a field, dead stick. If the truth were told, many pilots wonder how well they would do it themselves. Reporter was in his C172 returning home to columbia, sc, from clemson, sc. At the clemson-oconee airport, he had taken on fuel for 2 hours' flying. Ceu to cub is 102 NM, and if the C172 cruises at about 110 KTS, it adds up to about an hour flying time. Right? Reporter admits there were a few factors he didn't anticipate. And as we know, only in retrospect are the elements of potential disaster ever so clearly seen. In reporter words, 'I checked the WX, but not the winds above 3000 ft. I became distraction by some sightseeing in the clemson and anderson area and used more air time than I had intended, and still had a long way to go before reaching columbia. We're also operating our engine at full power settings as we are breaking in some new channel-chrome cylinders. This causes significantly higher fuel consumption.' later investigation revealed that the tailwind at the surface shifted to a 50 KT quartering headwind by 6000 ft. Approaching from the west, reporter climbed to 5500 ft and attempted to use same heading as lower level, talking with columbia approach on 124.15 navigating south around and through columbia metropolitan's class C airspace. 'I knew I was low on fuel, but I trusted the fuel gauges for the last few mins of the flight because I was so close to home, and the gauges had always been reliable.' right gauge still indicated 1/4 tank, and had previously been reliable. About midway between cae and cub, 3 mi from either airport, reporter recalls, ATC had just gone through the speal 'squawk VFR, change to advisory frequency approved, good day.' and then silence. At about 1600 ft MSL, the engine sputtered to a deafening, terrifying silence. 'I knew I couldn't stretch the glide to make owens or metropolitan, so I made a left base over the water treatment plant and touched down in the large soy bean field just north of heathwood hall. ATC was with me all the way down, offering anything I needed (except fuel), and I heard them give up a cheer when I told them I was safe on the ground -- they were great. Touchdown about 1 min after reporting power failure. Even though I told them I was fine and didn't need anything but a ride, someone called an ambulance, the fire department, the sheriff's department, the highway patrol, and the department of natural resources.' they all arrived on the scene sooner or later, but the first one to locate reporter and the downed cessna was a news camera crew. And of course the FAA came along too. Reporter said it took only a couple of hours to obtain fuel and the necessary permissions from the FAA flight safety district office and landowner, mr. X, before the plane was gassed up and ready to fly out. Mr. Y offered to perform the honors, and mr. Y bid the bean field adieu. 'Add it all up and what do you get? A very embarrassing day and experience, at best, and it could have been a real catastrophe. It did prove, however, that the system and the training work most of the time. I hope many others in addition to me are learning from my close call.' reporter thanks mr. X for the gracious, if unsolicited, use of his bean field (from which the soybeans had been harvested only a few weeks before), and hopes never to return.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ON A XCOUNTRY FLT RPTR PLT RAN OUT OF GAS AND FORCED TO LAND IN FIELD. NO DAMAGE.

Narrative: FORCED LNDG WITHOUT PWR. RPTR PLT DID SOMETHING LAST MONTH MANY PLTS HOPE THEY WILL NEVER HAVE TO DO -- LAND AN AIRPLANE IN A FIELD, DEAD STICK. IF THE TRUTH WERE TOLD, MANY PLTS WONDER HOW WELL THEY WOULD DO IT THEMSELVES. RPTR WAS IN HIS C172 RETURNING HOME TO COLUMBIA, SC, FROM CLEMSON, SC. AT THE CLEMSON-OCONEE ARPT, HE HAD TAKEN ON FUEL FOR 2 HRS' FLYING. CEU TO CUB IS 102 NM, AND IF THE C172 CRUISES AT ABOUT 110 KTS, IT ADDS UP TO ABOUT AN HR FLYING TIME. RIGHT? RPTR ADMITS THERE WERE A FEW FACTORS HE DIDN'T ANTICIPATE. AND AS WE KNOW, ONLY IN RETROSPECT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF POTENTIAL DISASTER EVER SO CLRLY SEEN. IN RPTR WORDS, 'I CHKED THE WX, BUT NOT THE WINDS ABOVE 3000 FT. I BECAME DISTR BY SOME SIGHTSEEING IN THE CLEMSON AND ANDERSON AREA AND USED MORE AIR TIME THAN I HAD INTENDED, AND STILL HAD A LONG WAY TO GO BEFORE REACHING COLUMBIA. WE'RE ALSO OPERATING OUR ENG AT FULL PWR SETTINGS AS WE ARE BREAKING IN SOME NEW CHANNEL-CHROME CYLINDERS. THIS CAUSES SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER FUEL CONSUMPTION.' LATER INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE TAILWIND AT THE SURFACE SHIFTED TO A 50 KT QUARTERING HEADWIND BY 6000 FT. APCHING FROM THE W, RPTR CLBED TO 5500 FT AND ATTEMPTED TO USE SAME HDG AS LOWER LEVEL, TALKING WITH COLUMBIA APCH ON 124.15 NAVING S AROUND AND THROUGH COLUMBIA METRO'S CLASS C AIRSPACE. 'I KNEW I WAS LOW ON FUEL, BUT I TRUSTED THE FUEL GAUGES FOR THE LAST FEW MINS OF THE FLT BECAUSE I WAS SO CLOSE TO HOME, AND THE GAUGES HAD ALWAYS BEEN RELIABLE.' R GAUGE STILL INDICATED 1/4 TANK, AND HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN RELIABLE. ABOUT MIDWAY BTWN CAE AND CUB, 3 MI FROM EITHER ARPT, RPTR RECALLS, ATC HAD JUST GONE THROUGH THE SPEAL 'SQUAWK VFR, CHANGE TO ADVISORY FREQ APPROVED, GOOD DAY.' AND THEN SILENCE. AT ABOUT 1600 FT MSL, THE ENG SPUTTERED TO A DEAFENING, TERRIFYING SILENCE. 'I KNEW I COULDN'T STRETCH THE GLIDE TO MAKE OWENS OR METRO, SO I MADE A L BASE OVER THE WATER TREATMENT PLANT AND TOUCHED DOWN IN THE LARGE SOY BEAN FIELD JUST N OF HEATHWOOD HALL. ATC WAS WITH ME ALL THE WAY DOWN, OFFERING ANYTHING I NEEDED (EXCEPT FUEL), AND I HEARD THEM GIVE UP A CHEER WHEN I TOLD THEM I WAS SAFE ON THE GND -- THEY WERE GREAT. TOUCHDOWN ABOUT 1 MIN AFTER RPTING PWR FAILURE. EVEN THOUGH I TOLD THEM I WAS FINE AND DIDN'T NEED ANYTHING BUT A RIDE, SOMEONE CALLED AN AMBULANCE, THE FIRE DEPT, THE SHERIFF'S DEPT, THE HWY PATROL, AND THE DEPT OF NATURAL RESOURCES.' THEY ALL ARRIVED ON THE SCENE SOONER OR LATER, BUT THE FIRST ONE TO LOCATE RPTR AND THE DOWNED CESSNA WAS A NEWS CAMERA CREW. AND OF COURSE THE FAA CAME ALONG TOO. RPTR SAID IT TOOK ONLY A COUPLE OF HRS TO OBTAIN FUEL AND THE NECESSARY PERMISSIONS FROM THE FAA FLT SAFETY DISTRICT OFFICE AND LANDOWNER, MR. X, BEFORE THE PLANE WAS GASSED UP AND READY TO FLY OUT. MR. Y OFFERED TO PERFORM THE HONORS, AND MR. Y BID THE BEAN FIELD ADIEU. 'ADD IT ALL UP AND WHAT DO YOU GET? A VERY EMBARRASSING DAY AND EXPERIENCE, AT BEST, AND IT COULD HAVE BEEN A REAL CATASTROPHE. IT DID PROVE, HOWEVER, THAT THE SYS AND THE TRAINING WORK MOST OF THE TIME. I HOPE MANY OTHERS IN ADDITION TO ME ARE LEARNING FROM MY CLOSE CALL.' RPTR THANKS MR. X FOR THE GRACIOUS, IF UNSOLICITED, USE OF HIS BEAN FIELD (FROM WHICH THE SOYBEANS HAD BEEN HARVESTED ONLY A FEW WKS BEFORE), AND HOPES NEVER TO RETURN.

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.