Narrative:

After a 4 hour 40 min flight from princeton, nj (39N), airport to home base, frasca field, urbana, il (C16), on nov/xa/99, the engine quit during my rollout on the runway. It wouldn't restart on that fuel tank, but it did restart on the other tank. I taxied it to the hangar and shut it down. I should have had 50 mins of fuel left (70 mins if my flight plan time had been adhered to). (The tanks hold 88 gallons useable, at 16 gallons per hour, I flight plan for 5 hours 30 mins total flying time on full tanks.) I had carefully switched tanks during the flight, and thought I had monitored and balanced them closely. At the hangar, I visually checked the left tank -- the one which was in use when the engine quit during the landing -- and it looked empty, so I started draining it, and drained only 6 fuel tester container full from it. (I later checked the capacity of my fuel tester, and found that it holds about 1/6 cup.) I then visually checked the right tank, expecting it to have visible fuel in it, but it didn't, either. I drained only 4 fuel testers worth of gas from it. So I had landed with 1 cup or less fuel in each tank. This troubled me, because I am quite methodical in my fuel management. I had visually checked both tanks before flying to princeton 3 days earlier, and they were both completely full, even overflowing a bit. After landing at princeton after a 3 hour 30 min flight (with a good tailwind), I waited for the lineman to fill the tanks, and he told me that they'd taken 53.6 gallons. I flight plan this plane at 16 gph, and had predicted that it'd take 56 gallons to fill both tanks based upon my flight time, so I felt comfortable knowing that he'd filled the tanks correctly. (C210's are known to 'fool' linemen into thinking the tanks are full, which has resulted in a lot of fuel exhaustion incidents involving C210's.) my flight plan had predicted using 55 gallons, based on my duats profile for this airplane, which is usually very close. So all the numbers seemed to agree within a couple of gallons. Before my return flight to C16 3 days later, I again visually checked both tanks. They weren't as full as when I'd left urbana -- they didn't overflow like they did in urbana -- but they were within 1/2 inch or less of the top, and I deemed them nearly full. The flight plan predicted 4 hours 20 mins en route, due to a headwind, and a fuel usage of 70 gallons, but ATC routed me differently. The flight took an unexpected 4 hours 40 mins instead, but nevertheless should have used only 74.7 gallons at 16 gph. I had used 2 hours 10 mins from each tank about 20 mins from the end of the flight, and switched to my left tank at a flight time of +4 hours 20 mins. During the flight, I averaged about 65% power. I ran it slightly richer than normal, as my graphic engine monitor showed cylinder #2's egt running a little warm. My fuel flow gauge showed 90-95 pounds per hour, and occasionally 100 pounds per hour. I varied the fuel flow from time to time to slow the plane down or speed it up, due to occasional bumps in the clouds. But even 100 pph is only 16.67 gph fuel flow, which should have used only about 77.8 gallons of fuel out of 88.5 usable. My calculations show that the plane used 88 gallons in 4 hours 40 mins -- assuming that the tanks were full when I left princeton -- or 18.9 gph. Alternatively, if fuel usage was the typical 16 gph, it leaves unexplained the disappearance of 14 gallons of fuel. When filling the tanks the next morning, we found no evidence of fuel leakage or siphoning from anywhere in the aircraft. We also found that filling the tanks to the same point that they'd been filled in princeton explained at most about 6-8 gallons. I can only believe at this point that the situation occurred due to a combination of a few fewer gallons in the tanks than I'd thought, and a richer fuel flow than my gauge indicates. I suppose it's possible too, that the plane wasn't level in princeton when I looked in the tanks, although it looked level and I don't believe that that explains the near fuel exhaustion. As a result of this incident, I am planning to installa shadin fuel flow meter as a xchk against my other instruments, because I don't want this to happen again. It was too close.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C210 PVT PLT RPT ON HIS ENG QUITTING ON THE LNDG ROLL OUT AFTER A 4 HR 40 MIN FLT DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION AT C16, IL.

Narrative: AFTER A 4 HR 40 MIN FLT FROM PRINCETON, NJ (39N), ARPT TO HOME BASE, FRASCA FIELD, URBANA, IL (C16), ON NOV/XA/99, THE ENG QUIT DURING MY ROLLOUT ON THE RWY. IT WOULDN'T RESTART ON THAT FUEL TANK, BUT IT DID RESTART ON THE OTHER TANK. I TAXIED IT TO THE HANGAR AND SHUT IT DOWN. I SHOULD HAVE HAD 50 MINS OF FUEL LEFT (70 MINS IF MY FLT PLAN TIME HAD BEEN ADHERED TO). (THE TANKS HOLD 88 GALLONS USEABLE, AT 16 GALLONS PER HR, I FLT PLAN FOR 5 HRS 30 MINS TOTAL FLYING TIME ON FULL TANKS.) I HAD CAREFULLY SWITCHED TANKS DURING THE FLT, AND THOUGHT I HAD MONITORED AND BALANCED THEM CLOSELY. AT THE HANGAR, I VISUALLY CHKED THE L TANK -- THE ONE WHICH WAS IN USE WHEN THE ENG QUIT DURING THE LNDG -- AND IT LOOKED EMPTY, SO I STARTED DRAINING IT, AND DRAINED ONLY 6 FUEL TESTER CONTAINER FULL FROM IT. (I LATER CHKED THE CAPACITY OF MY FUEL TESTER, AND FOUND THAT IT HOLDS ABOUT 1/6 CUP.) I THEN VISUALLY CHKED THE R TANK, EXPECTING IT TO HAVE VISIBLE FUEL IN IT, BUT IT DIDN'T, EITHER. I DRAINED ONLY 4 FUEL TESTERS WORTH OF GAS FROM IT. SO I HAD LANDED WITH 1 CUP OR LESS FUEL IN EACH TANK. THIS TROUBLED ME, BECAUSE I AM QUITE METHODICAL IN MY FUEL MGMNT. I HAD VISUALLY CHKED BOTH TANKS BEFORE FLYING TO PRINCETON 3 DAYS EARLIER, AND THEY WERE BOTH COMPLETELY FULL, EVEN OVERFLOWING A BIT. AFTER LNDG AT PRINCETON AFTER A 3 HR 30 MIN FLT (WITH A GOOD TAILWIND), I WAITED FOR THE LINEMAN TO FILL THE TANKS, AND HE TOLD ME THAT THEY'D TAKEN 53.6 GALLONS. I FLT PLAN THIS PLANE AT 16 GPH, AND HAD PREDICTED THAT IT'D TAKE 56 GALLONS TO FILL BOTH TANKS BASED UPON MY FLT TIME, SO I FELT COMFORTABLE KNOWING THAT HE'D FILLED THE TANKS CORRECTLY. (C210'S ARE KNOWN TO 'FOOL' LINEMEN INTO THINKING THE TANKS ARE FULL, WHICH HAS RESULTED IN A LOT OF FUEL EXHAUSTION INCIDENTS INVOLVING C210'S.) MY FLT PLAN HAD PREDICTED USING 55 GALLONS, BASED ON MY DUATS PROFILE FOR THIS AIRPLANE, WHICH IS USUALLY VERY CLOSE. SO ALL THE NUMBERS SEEMED TO AGREE WITHIN A COUPLE OF GALLONS. BEFORE MY RETURN FLT TO C16 3 DAYS LATER, I AGAIN VISUALLY CHKED BOTH TANKS. THEY WEREN'T AS FULL AS WHEN I'D LEFT URBANA -- THEY DIDN'T OVERFLOW LIKE THEY DID IN URBANA -- BUT THEY WERE WITHIN 1/2 INCH OR LESS OF THE TOP, AND I DEEMED THEM NEARLY FULL. THE FLT PLAN PREDICTED 4 HRS 20 MINS ENRTE, DUE TO A HEADWIND, AND A FUEL USAGE OF 70 GALLONS, BUT ATC ROUTED ME DIFFERENTLY. THE FLT TOOK AN UNEXPECTED 4 HRS 40 MINS INSTEAD, BUT NEVERTHELESS SHOULD HAVE USED ONLY 74.7 GALLONS AT 16 GPH. I HAD USED 2 HRS 10 MINS FROM EACH TANK ABOUT 20 MINS FROM THE END OF THE FLT, AND SWITCHED TO MY L TANK AT A FLT TIME OF +4 HRS 20 MINS. DURING THE FLT, I AVERAGED ABOUT 65% PWR. I RAN IT SLIGHTLY RICHER THAN NORMAL, AS MY GRAPHIC ENG MONITOR SHOWED CYLINDER #2'S EGT RUNNING A LITTLE WARM. MY FUEL FLOW GAUGE SHOWED 90-95 LBS PER HR, AND OCCASIONALLY 100 LBS PER HR. I VARIED THE FUEL FLOW FROM TIME TO TIME TO SLOW THE PLANE DOWN OR SPD IT UP, DUE TO OCCASIONAL BUMPS IN THE CLOUDS. BUT EVEN 100 PPH IS ONLY 16.67 GPH FUEL FLOW, WHICH SHOULD HAVE USED ONLY ABOUT 77.8 GALLONS OF FUEL OUT OF 88.5 USABLE. MY CALCULATIONS SHOW THAT THE PLANE USED 88 GALLONS IN 4 HRS 40 MINS -- ASSUMING THAT THE TANKS WERE FULL WHEN I LEFT PRINCETON -- OR 18.9 GPH. ALTERNATIVELY, IF FUEL USAGE WAS THE TYPICAL 16 GPH, IT LEAVES UNEXPLAINED THE DISAPPEARANCE OF 14 GALLONS OF FUEL. WHEN FILLING THE TANKS THE NEXT MORNING, WE FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL LEAKAGE OR SIPHONING FROM ANYWHERE IN THE ACFT. WE ALSO FOUND THAT FILLING THE TANKS TO THE SAME POINT THAT THEY'D BEEN FILLED IN PRINCETON EXPLAINED AT MOST ABOUT 6-8 GALLONS. I CAN ONLY BELIEVE AT THIS POINT THAT THE SIT OCCURRED DUE TO A COMBINATION OF A FEW FEWER GALLONS IN THE TANKS THAN I'D THOUGHT, AND A RICHER FUEL FLOW THAN MY GAUGE INDICATES. I SUPPOSE IT'S POSSIBLE TOO, THAT THE PLANE WASN'T LEVEL IN PRINCETON WHEN I LOOKED IN THE TANKS, ALTHOUGH IT LOOKED LEVEL AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THAT EXPLAINS THE NEAR FUEL EXHAUSTION. AS A RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT, I AM PLANNING TO INSTALLA SHADIN FUEL FLOW METER AS A XCHK AGAINST MY OTHER INSTS, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN AGAIN. IT WAS TOO CLOSE.

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.