Narrative:

VFR flight from hammond, la, to galveston, tx, filled both tanks to the brim before departure. Recent complete top overhaul and replacement of magnetos with new magnetos and harnesses. Departed hmu at XA08 and had flight following along the route. Beautiful and uneventful flight until approaching galveston. I had descended slowly from 4500 ft to 2500 ft and had the airport in sight from over galveston city proper. At approximately 5 mins from the airport, the engine coughed. I turned toward the beach, then the engine quit. I rocked the wings, tried changing the fuel selector from both to each left and right, tried pumping the throttle, etc. Don't recall whether or not I switched the magnetos off and on. It was apparent that the engine would not restart, so I planned to put the plane down in the safest place. The seawall road traffic at XB00 was heavy, there were no available fields, so I chose the beach. There were jetties jutting out into the water, and rip rap near the seawall, leaving a somewhat narrow area of beach, and there were people on the beach. I chose the surf near the beach, feeling that this would keep me from hurting anyone else in the attempt to land. Of course, the plane flipped over on landing, but neither I nor my passenger were hurt. No scratches, no bruises, no injury. There had been a fuel flow problem in this airplane before, and I thought it had been worked out. The fuel gauges had not been reading accurately, but the fact that 1 tank took 10 gallons and the other about 11 gallons made me think that they were feeding equally. The gauge on the right wasn't coming down as fast as I thought it should, but the tanks had been flow checked and I had been told to fly by time and to always keep the selector on 'both.' still, I should have been more suspicious in retrospect. I have another cessna where the left tank feeds much faster than the right, even though it is always on the 'both' setting. It is dangerous to take anything for granted when flying. In the future. I'll pay more attention to my intuition as well.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C175 PLT LANDS IN WATER AFTER FUEL STARVATION WITH 24 GALLONS OF FUEL ON BOARD.

Narrative: VFR FLT FROM HAMMOND, LA, TO GALVESTON, TX, FILLED BOTH TANKS TO THE BRIM BEFORE DEP. RECENT COMPLETE TOP OVERHAUL AND REPLACEMENT OF MAGNETOS WITH NEW MAGNETOS AND HARNESSES. DEPARTED HMU AT XA08 AND HAD FLT FOLLOWING ALONG THE RTE. BEAUTIFUL AND UNEVENTFUL FLT UNTIL APCHING GALVESTON. I HAD DSNDED SLOWLY FROM 4500 FT TO 2500 FT AND HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT FROM OVER GALVESTON CITY PROPER. AT APPROX 5 MINS FROM THE ARPT, THE ENG COUGHED. I TURNED TOWARD THE BEACH, THEN THE ENG QUIT. I ROCKED THE WINGS, TRIED CHANGING THE FUEL SELECTOR FROM BOTH TO EACH L AND R, TRIED PUMPING THE THROTTLE, ETC. DON'T RECALL WHETHER OR NOT I SWITCHED THE MAGNETOS OFF AND ON. IT WAS APPARENT THAT THE ENG WOULD NOT RESTART, SO I PLANNED TO PUT THE PLANE DOWN IN THE SAFEST PLACE. THE SEAWALL ROAD TFC AT XB00 WAS HVY, THERE WERE NO AVAILABLE FIELDS, SO I CHOSE THE BEACH. THERE WERE JETTIES JUTTING OUT INTO THE WATER, AND RIP RAP NEAR THE SEAWALL, LEAVING A SOMEWHAT NARROW AREA OF BEACH, AND THERE WERE PEOPLE ON THE BEACH. I CHOSE THE SURF NEAR THE BEACH, FEELING THAT THIS WOULD KEEP ME FROM HURTING ANYONE ELSE IN THE ATTEMPT TO LAND. OF COURSE, THE PLANE FLIPPED OVER ON LNDG, BUT NEITHER I NOR MY PAX WERE HURT. NO SCRATCHES, NO BRUISES, NO INJURY. THERE HAD BEEN A FUEL FLOW PROB IN THIS AIRPLANE BEFORE, AND I THOUGHT IT HAD BEEN WORKED OUT. THE FUEL GAUGES HAD NOT BEEN READING ACCURATELY, BUT THE FACT THAT 1 TANK TOOK 10 GALLONS AND THE OTHER ABOUT 11 GALLONS MADE ME THINK THAT THEY WERE FEEDING EQUALLY. THE GAUGE ON THE R WASN'T COMING DOWN AS FAST AS I THOUGHT IT SHOULD, BUT THE TANKS HAD BEEN FLOW CHKED AND I HAD BEEN TOLD TO FLY BY TIME AND TO ALWAYS KEEP THE SELECTOR ON 'BOTH.' STILL, I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE SUSPICIOUS IN RETROSPECT. I HAVE ANOTHER CESSNA WHERE THE L TANK FEEDS MUCH FASTER THAN THE R, EVEN THOUGH IT IS ALWAYS ON THE 'BOTH' SETTING. IT IS DANGEROUS TO TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED WHEN FLYING. IN THE FUTURE. I'LL PAY MORE ATTN TO MY INTUITION AS WELL.

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.