Narrative:

While en route from ocl to azo, I decided to divert to sbn in order to purchase additional fuel. I had filled the aircraft with enough fuel (30 gallons) in kansas to give me 50 gallons of fuel for the anticipated 4 hour trip at a rate of 10 gph, compensating for necessary reserves. During cruise, I noticed the fuel gauges registering lower than I was comfortable with, and when I decided I had about 15 gallons remaining (I was approximately 3.5 hours into the flight) between both tanks made the decision to refuel. I called up sbn about 13 mi southeast of the airport to request to land '...to purchase fuel...that I was low....' they gave me permission to descend from my cruise altitude of 7000 ft cleared to 3000 ft. About that time I switched tanks to the right from the left. As I passed through 5500 ft the engine became rough and sputtered, still maintaining some RPM's but not enough to maintain safe descent. I called sbn, indicated I had a problem, the engine was out, I had no fuel (so I thought) and needed to land immediately. They cleared me for any runway, I switched back to the left tank and the engine ran normally for about 1 min. Having been cleared to land on any runway, I attempted to line up for runway 36L, runway 9L, runway 18, but was far too high in all instances. As I lined up for runway 18, I was 1800 ft high, and dropped the landing gear. I decided I was still far too high to make a safe landing, so continued to circle around for runway 27R. I landed on runway 27R without incident, or damage to either the aircraft, the airport or injury to my passenger. 1 passenger did sustain a broken eyeglass band when she inadvertently hit herself in the temple after landing. She was holding onto her brother. The airplane rolled out onto the runway, I shut it down and promptly evacuate/evacuationed the plane. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the fuel pump had been changed during the aircraft's annual inspection. He had just received the sierra from maintenance prior to leaving home base for his flight to kansas city. He faithfully checks the travel and detent position of his fuel selector during his preflight inspection. He said that the BE24 has a known problem with the retaining screws on the fuel selector 'working' their way out due to aircraft vibration. This is what happened on the way back to home base when he went from left tank to the right tank. He thought that the detent had been entered but failed to check visually (night time) that it was seated properly. So the engine stopped due to fuel starvation. The aircraft holds 58 gallons of fuel. He only took 50 gallons out of ocl for his return flight. When asked why not the 58 gallons, he said that the aircraft was near maximum gross weight. He was slightly behind in his flight plan and simply had second thoughts about fuel reserves at destination airport and felt that instead of the 1 hour reserve, he might have about 50 mins. Rather than 'sweat it out' regarding the required 45 mins reserve he decided to land at sbn. The FAA sent him a form to fill out regarding this incident so he feels that they may be asking him questions about possible fuel mismgmnt. He feels this was an aircraft maintenance discrepancy or design problem.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CB A BE24 (SIERRA) PVT PLT MAKES AN EMER LNDG AT SBN WHEN HIS ENG STARTS TO RUN ROUGHLY AND FINALLY FAILS.

Narrative: WHILE ENRTE FROM OCL TO AZO, I DECIDED TO DIVERT TO SBN IN ORDER TO PURCHASE ADDITIONAL FUEL. I HAD FILLED THE ACFT WITH ENOUGH FUEL (30 GALLONS) IN KANSAS TO GIVE ME 50 GALLONS OF FUEL FOR THE ANTICIPATED 4 HR TRIP AT A RATE OF 10 GPH, COMPENSATING FOR NECESSARY RESERVES. DURING CRUISE, I NOTICED THE FUEL GAUGES REGISTERING LOWER THAN I WAS COMFORTABLE WITH, AND WHEN I DECIDED I HAD ABOUT 15 GALLONS REMAINING (I WAS APPROX 3.5 HRS INTO THE FLT) BTWN BOTH TANKS MADE THE DECISION TO REFUEL. I CALLED UP SBN ABOUT 13 MI SE OF THE ARPT TO REQUEST TO LAND '...TO PURCHASE FUEL...THAT I WAS LOW....' THEY GAVE ME PERMISSION TO DSND FROM MY CRUISE ALT OF 7000 FT CLRED TO 3000 FT. ABOUT THAT TIME I SWITCHED TANKS TO THE R FROM THE L. AS I PASSED THROUGH 5500 FT THE ENG BECAME ROUGH AND SPUTTERED, STILL MAINTAINING SOME RPM'S BUT NOT ENOUGH TO MAINTAIN SAFE DSCNT. I CALLED SBN, INDICATED I HAD A PROB, THE ENG WAS OUT, I HAD NO FUEL (SO I THOUGHT) AND NEEDED TO LAND IMMEDIATELY. THEY CLRED ME FOR ANY RWY, I SWITCHED BACK TO THE L TANK AND THE ENG RAN NORMALLY FOR ABOUT 1 MIN. HAVING BEEN CLRED TO LAND ON ANY RWY, I ATTEMPTED TO LINE UP FOR RWY 36L, RWY 9L, RWY 18, BUT WAS FAR TOO HIGH IN ALL INSTANCES. AS I LINED UP FOR RWY 18, I WAS 1800 FT HIGH, AND DROPPED THE LNDG GEAR. I DECIDED I WAS STILL FAR TOO HIGH TO MAKE A SAFE LNDG, SO CONTINUED TO CIRCLE AROUND FOR RWY 27R. I LANDED ON RWY 27R WITHOUT INCIDENT, OR DAMAGE TO EITHER THE ACFT, THE ARPT OR INJURY TO MY PAX. 1 PAX DID SUSTAIN A BROKEN EYEGLASS BAND WHEN SHE INADVERTENTLY HIT HERSELF IN THE TEMPLE AFTER LNDG. SHE WAS HOLDING ONTO HER BROTHER. THE AIRPLANE ROLLED OUT ONTO THE RWY, I SHUT IT DOWN AND PROMPTLY EVACED THE PLANE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE FUEL PUMP HAD BEEN CHANGED DURING THE ACFT'S ANNUAL INSPECTION. HE HAD JUST RECEIVED THE SIERRA FROM MAINT PRIOR TO LEAVING HOME BASE FOR HIS FLT TO KANSAS CITY. HE FAITHFULLY CHKS THE TRAVEL AND DETENT POS OF HIS FUEL SELECTOR DURING HIS PREFLT INSPECTION. HE SAID THAT THE BE24 HAS A KNOWN PROB WITH THE RETAINING SCREWS ON THE FUEL SELECTOR 'WORKING' THEIR WAY OUT DUE TO ACFT VIBRATION. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED ON THE WAY BACK TO HOME BASE WHEN HE WENT FROM L TANK TO THE R TANK. HE THOUGHT THAT THE DETENT HAD BEEN ENTERED BUT FAILED TO CHK VISUALLY (NIGHT TIME) THAT IT WAS SEATED PROPERLY. SO THE ENG STOPPED DUE TO FUEL STARVATION. THE ACFT HOLDS 58 GALLONS OF FUEL. HE ONLY TOOK 50 GALLONS OUT OF OCL FOR HIS RETURN FLT. WHEN ASKED WHY NOT THE 58 GALLONS, HE SAID THAT THE ACFT WAS NEAR MAX GROSS WT. HE WAS SLIGHTLY BEHIND IN HIS FLT PLAN AND SIMPLY HAD SECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT FUEL RESERVES AT DEST ARPT AND FELT THAT INSTEAD OF THE 1 HR RESERVE, HE MIGHT HAVE ABOUT 50 MINS. RATHER THAN 'SWEAT IT OUT' REGARDING THE REQUIRED 45 MINS RESERVE HE DECIDED TO LAND AT SBN. THE FAA SENT HIM A FORM TO FILL OUT REGARDING THIS INCIDENT SO HE FEELS THAT THEY MAY BE ASKING HIM QUESTIONS ABOUT POSSIBLE FUEL MISMGMNT. HE FEELS THIS WAS AN ACFT MAINT DISCREPANCY OR DESIGN PROB.

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.