Narrative:

On jun/xa/99 I departed from gyh at XA30Z. WX briefing called for VFR en route with MVFR over athens, GA. Ceiling up to 20 NM radius of athens was 6000-7000 ft MSL. Athens was scattered 1300 ft broken to overcast around 4000 ft MSL. Altitude en route was 4500 ft until athens when I descended to 2500 ft MSL. After clearing MVFR WX around athens, I decided to stay at 2500 ft MSL. During flight above 3000 ft MSL mixture was leaned. Made a short stopover at columbus, GA, at which time I tried to contact FSS to extend ETA at pns. Attempts were to no avail. After departure out of columbus, altitude was at 2500 ft MSL. Upon reaching outskirts of pns approach radar, I started to contact pns approach. I had the frequency dialed in and I picked up some engine roughness. Upon initial contact with approach, I notified him of my dilemma. He asked me if I would like to continue to my destination or land at a closer airport. I informed him I would like to get the plane on the ground as soon as possible. He told me to contact eglin departure. When I contacted eglin approach, I had lost the engine completely. I told eglin I was on the riso to the crestview VOR about 20 NM out. At 900 ft MSL I regained power and climbed to 2500 ft MSL. During this time eglin never reported radar contact. I had been issued a squawk code and tuned it in but was never picked up on radar. Even after squawking 7700 I was still not located. Eglin approach controller asked for a position update. I was on the 315 degree radial from crestview VOR when I lost the engine for the second time. I located an airport and told eglin that I found an airfield and it appeared to be made. I told eglin approach that there were T34's in the pattern which led him to believe I was at whiting field but it was brewton, al. I couldn't get in touch with the T34's and they were using the opposing runway 12, so I couldn't land on runway 30. I decided to set the plane down in the grass infield instead of risking the head-on with the T34. I secured the aft, went through emergency checklist, and did a soft field landing. No damage resulted to the aircraft or passenger and myself. After landing, I looked at the fuel gauge and it read 1/4 tank. I got out and visually inspected the tanks for the third time that day. There was no fuel aboard except unusable. I looked at the hobbs meter and in 3.3 hours I burnt 40 gallons of usable and 1.7 gallons of unusable. I visually checked the fuel on preflight and the tanks were topped. I visually checked the fuel at columbus and the tanks appeared 1/2 after 2 hours of flight time. All C172's that I have flown all burnt between 8-9 gph -- with the exception of the R172K that has 195 hp and constant speed propeller. This C172 has a 180 hp engine, so I used 10 gph fuel burn rate for my flight planning calculations. This would have got me to pns with my 30 min reserve for day time VFR. The million dollar question: why didn't you get fuel at columbus? After visually checking the tanks and 'knowing' that I had plenty of fuel to make the airport of destination, I decided that I didn't need it! My million dollar question: why wasn't I informed that this aircraft burnt close to 13 gph? The operating handbook says 10 gph. I believe that if the FBO at columbus might not have been busy, I would have picked up some fuel there if for nothing else, to avoid the ramp fee. Like I have stated, it did not appear necessary. Lessons learned: 1) familiarize yourself with each individual aircraft when renting because the airplane may not perform as the poh indicates. 2) always get fuel when the wheels are on the ground, regardless of the distance of the airport of destination from current airport. 3) talk to mechanics that worked on the plane and find out pertinent information that is relevant to your flight education about the plane. Action taken to insure this is not a repeated problem: 1) went over fuel calculation with instructor. 2) received further instruction in cross country planning. 3) much deliberation on my part to be more cautious and continue my flight training as an extreme safety conscious pilot.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 PLT LANDS WITH ENG FAILURE DUE TO FUEL STARVATION ON SECOND LEG OF FLT. DECLARED EMER AND WITH AID OF ARTCC AND GOOD LUCK, FOUND ARPT BUT LANDED OFF RWY BECAUSE OF CONFLICTING TFC. NO DAMAGE.

Narrative: ON JUN/XA/99 I DEPARTED FROM GYH AT XA30Z. WX BRIEFING CALLED FOR VFR ENRTE WITH MVFR OVER ATHENS, GA. CEILING UP TO 20 NM RADIUS OF ATHENS WAS 6000-7000 FT MSL. ATHENS WAS SCATTERED 1300 FT BROKEN TO OVCST AROUND 4000 FT MSL. ALT ENRTE WAS 4500 FT UNTIL ATHENS WHEN I DSNDED TO 2500 FT MSL. AFTER CLRING MVFR WX AROUND ATHENS, I DECIDED TO STAY AT 2500 FT MSL. DURING FLT ABOVE 3000 FT MSL MIXTURE WAS LEANED. MADE A SHORT STOPOVER AT COLUMBUS, GA, AT WHICH TIME I TRIED TO CONTACT FSS TO EXTEND ETA AT PNS. ATTEMPTS WERE TO NO AVAIL. AFTER DEP OUT OF COLUMBUS, ALT WAS AT 2500 FT MSL. UPON REACHING OUTSKIRTS OF PNS APCH RADAR, I STARTED TO CONTACT PNS APCH. I HAD THE FREQ DIALED IN AND I PICKED UP SOME ENG ROUGHNESS. UPON INITIAL CONTACT WITH APCH, I NOTIFIED HIM OF MY DILEMMA. HE ASKED ME IF I WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO MY DEST OR LAND AT A CLOSER ARPT. I INFORMED HIM I WOULD LIKE TO GET THE PLANE ON THE GND ASAP. HE TOLD ME TO CONTACT EGLIN DEP. WHEN I CONTACTED EGLIN APCH, I HAD LOST THE ENG COMPLETELY. I TOLD EGLIN I WAS ON THE RISO TO THE CRESTVIEW VOR ABOUT 20 NM OUT. AT 900 FT MSL I REGAINED PWR AND CLBED TO 2500 FT MSL. DURING THIS TIME EGLIN NEVER RPTED RADAR CONTACT. I HAD BEEN ISSUED A SQUAWK CODE AND TUNED IT IN BUT WAS NEVER PICKED UP ON RADAR. EVEN AFTER SQUAWKING 7700 I WAS STILL NOT LOCATED. EGLIN APCH CTLR ASKED FOR A POS UPDATE. I WAS ON THE 315 DEG RADIAL FROM CRESTVIEW VOR WHEN I LOST THE ENG FOR THE SECOND TIME. I LOCATED AN ARPT AND TOLD EGLIN THAT I FOUND AN AIRFIELD AND IT APPEARED TO BE MADE. I TOLD EGLIN APCH THAT THERE WERE T34'S IN THE PATTERN WHICH LED HIM TO BELIEVE I WAS AT WHITING FIELD BUT IT WAS BREWTON, AL. I COULDN'T GET IN TOUCH WITH THE T34'S AND THEY WERE USING THE OPPOSING RWY 12, SO I COULDN'T LAND ON RWY 30. I DECIDED TO SET THE PLANE DOWN IN THE GRASS INFIELD INSTEAD OF RISKING THE HEAD-ON WITH THE T34. I SECURED THE AFT, WENT THROUGH EMER CHKLIST, AND DID A SOFT FIELD LNDG. NO DAMAGE RESULTED TO THE ACFT OR PAX AND MYSELF. AFTER LNDG, I LOOKED AT THE FUEL GAUGE AND IT READ 1/4 TANK. I GOT OUT AND VISUALLY INSPECTED THE TANKS FOR THE THIRD TIME THAT DAY. THERE WAS NO FUEL ABOARD EXCEPT UNUSABLE. I LOOKED AT THE HOBBS METER AND IN 3.3 HRS I BURNT 40 GALLONS OF USABLE AND 1.7 GALLONS OF UNUSABLE. I VISUALLY CHKED THE FUEL ON PREFLT AND THE TANKS WERE TOPPED. I VISUALLY CHKED THE FUEL AT COLUMBUS AND THE TANKS APPEARED 1/2 AFTER 2 HRS OF FLT TIME. ALL C172'S THAT I HAVE FLOWN ALL BURNT BTWN 8-9 GPH -- WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE R172K THAT HAS 195 HP AND CONSTANT SPD PROP. THIS C172 HAS A 180 HP ENG, SO I USED 10 GPH FUEL BURN RATE FOR MY FLT PLANNING CALCULATIONS. THIS WOULD HAVE GOT ME TO PNS WITH MY 30 MIN RESERVE FOR DAY TIME VFR. THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION: WHY DIDN'T YOU GET FUEL AT COLUMBUS? AFTER VISUALLY CHKING THE TANKS AND 'KNOWING' THAT I HAD PLENTY OF FUEL TO MAKE THE ARPT OF DEST, I DECIDED THAT I DIDN'T NEED IT! MY MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION: WHY WASN'T I INFORMED THAT THIS ACFT BURNT CLOSE TO 13 GPH? THE OPERATING HANDBOOK SAYS 10 GPH. I BELIEVE THAT IF THE FBO AT COLUMBUS MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN BUSY, I WOULD HAVE PICKED UP SOME FUEL THERE IF FOR NOTHING ELSE, TO AVOID THE RAMP FEE. LIKE I HAVE STATED, IT DID NOT APPEAR NECESSARY. LESSONS LEARNED: 1) FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH EACH INDIVIDUAL ACFT WHEN RENTING BECAUSE THE AIRPLANE MAY NOT PERFORM AS THE POH INDICATES. 2) ALWAYS GET FUEL WHEN THE WHEELS ARE ON THE GND, REGARDLESS OF THE DISTANCE OF THE ARPT OF DEST FROM CURRENT ARPT. 3) TALK TO MECHS THAT WORKED ON THE PLANE AND FIND OUT PERTINENT INFO THAT IS RELEVANT TO YOUR FLT EDUCATION ABOUT THE PLANE. ACTION TAKEN TO INSURE THIS IS NOT A REPEATED PROB: 1) WENT OVER FUEL CALCULATION WITH INSTRUCTOR. 2) RECEIVED FURTHER INSTRUCTION IN XCOUNTRY PLANNING. 3) MUCH DELIBERATION ON MY PART TO BE MORE CAUTIOUS AND CONTINUE MY FLT TRAINING AS AN EXTREME SAFETY CONSCIOUS PLT.

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.