Narrative:

Prior to departure on the 1.5 hour cross country flight, the aircraft wings were dipped and showed a total just over 10 gals. With a 5 gph fuel burn this meets the daytime VFR minimum requirements. Very shortly after takeoff, I decided that I had read or heard too many stories of pilots pushing the fuel envelope and having tragic consequences. I decided to make a fuel stop at the next available airport en route. The nearest facility at this point was grissom AFB. For some reason, I believed that grissom was open for joint civilian and military use at this time. I was on VFR flight following with grissom approach anyway, so I informed them of my intentions to land at grissom AFB and refuel. This was somewhere between 45-60 mins into the flight. After a brief discussion, the controller informed me that I was not authority/authorized to land at grissom, as it was open only to military flts. Not perceiving a fuel emergency at this point, I announced my intentions to land at kokomo municipal. As I passed just south of grissom AFB, I could see kokomo municipal at my 12 O'clock position. Grissom instructed me to squawk VFR and approved my frequency change to kokomo's CTAF. I was set up nicely for an extended base leg to runway 5 so I announced my position and intentions to the CTAF. Another aircraft had just touched down and no one else was in the pattern. My altitude at this point was between 2500 ft and 2000 ft MSL. As I began to prepare myself and the aircraft for landing, the engine began to sputter and miss, quickly losing all power and windmilling freely. Slowing to best glide speed and making a quick visual estimation told me that I would not make the field. I announced my intention to land in a soybean field immediately to the southwest of the airport. Either the attendant at the FBO or the pilot of the recently landed aircraft reminded me not to stretch the glide and wished me luck. As I approached the field, I pulled the mixture, extended full flaps, and bled off airspeed for a full stall landing. I made a mental note as the propeller stopped horizontally a handful of feet above the ground. I flared just before the mains grazed the soybean crop and the plane sunk slowly to her belly in the dense vegetation. Then the plane was still. No nose dive, no cartwheel, no injuries. In all, it was a very soft landing (due more to the beans than to me, I'm sure). It was now approximately XA00 hours. I announced to the kokomo CTAF that I was down and safe. I exited the plane with my fuel dipstick in hand. The right tank was bone dry and the left tank had nearly 5 gals in it. A visual inspection of the plane revealed no damage whatsoever (just a lot of soybean leaves and vines). Contributing factors: beginning flight with only VFR day minimums, uneven fuel feed from wing tanks.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CESSNA 150 PLT MADE AN OFF ARPT EMER FORCED LNDG AFTER HIS ENG STOPPED 2 MI SHORT OF THE RWY AND LANDED IN A BEAN FIELD. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT OR INJURIES.

Narrative: PRIOR TO DEP ON THE 1.5 HR XCOUNTRY FLT, THE ACFT WINGS WERE DIPPED AND SHOWED A TOTAL JUST OVER 10 GALS. WITH A 5 GPH FUEL BURN THIS MEETS THE DAYTIME VFR MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS. VERY SHORTLY AFTER TKOF, I DECIDED THAT I HAD READ OR HEARD TOO MANY STORIES OF PLTS PUSHING THE FUEL ENVELOPE AND HAVING TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES. I DECIDED TO MAKE A FUEL STOP AT THE NEXT AVAILABLE ARPT ENRTE. THE NEAREST FACILITY AT THIS POINT WAS GRISSOM AFB. FOR SOME REASON, I BELIEVED THAT GRISSOM WAS OPEN FOR JOINT CIVILIAN AND MIL USE AT THIS TIME. I WAS ON VFR FLT FOLLOWING WITH GRISSOM APCH ANYWAY, SO I INFORMED THEM OF MY INTENTIONS TO LAND AT GRISSOM AFB AND REFUEL. THIS WAS SOMEWHERE BTWN 45-60 MINS INTO THE FLT. AFTER A BRIEF DISCUSSION, THE CTLR INFORMED ME THAT I WAS NOT AUTH TO LAND AT GRISSOM, AS IT WAS OPEN ONLY TO MIL FLTS. NOT PERCEIVING A FUEL EMER AT THIS POINT, I ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS TO LAND AT KOKOMO MUNICIPAL. AS I PASSED JUST S OF GRISSOM AFB, I COULD SEE KOKOMO MUNICIPAL AT MY 12 O'CLOCK POS. GRISSOM INSTRUCTED ME TO SQUAWK VFR AND APPROVED MY FREQ CHANGE TO KOKOMO'S CTAF. I WAS SET UP NICELY FOR AN EXTENDED BASE LEG TO RWY 5 SO I ANNOUNCED MY POS AND INTENTIONS TO THE CTAF. ANOTHER ACFT HAD JUST TOUCHED DOWN AND NO ONE ELSE WAS IN THE PATTERN. MY ALT AT THIS POINT WAS BTWN 2500 FT AND 2000 FT MSL. AS I BEGAN TO PREPARE MYSELF AND THE ACFT FOR LNDG, THE ENG BEGAN TO SPUTTER AND MISS, QUICKLY LOSING ALL PWR AND WINDMILLING FREELY. SLOWING TO BEST GLIDE SPD AND MAKING A QUICK VISUAL ESTIMATION TOLD ME THAT I WOULD NOT MAKE THE FIELD. I ANNOUNCED MY INTENTION TO LAND IN A SOYBEAN FIELD IMMEDIATELY TO THE SW OF THE ARPT. EITHER THE ATTENDANT AT THE FBO OR THE PLT OF THE RECENTLY LANDED ACFT REMINDED ME NOT TO STRETCH THE GLIDE AND WISHED ME LUCK. AS I APCHED THE FIELD, I PULLED THE MIXTURE, EXTENDED FULL FLAPS, AND BLED OFF AIRSPD FOR A FULL STALL LNDG. I MADE A MENTAL NOTE AS THE PROP STOPPED HORIZLY A HANDFUL OF FEET ABOVE THE GND. I FLARED JUST BEFORE THE MAINS GRAZED THE SOYBEAN CROP AND THE PLANE SUNK SLOWLY TO HER BELLY IN THE DENSE VEGETATION. THEN THE PLANE WAS STILL. NO NOSE DIVE, NO CARTWHEEL, NO INJURIES. IN ALL, IT WAS A VERY SOFT LNDG (DUE MORE TO THE BEANS THAN TO ME, I'M SURE). IT WAS NOW APPROX XA00 HRS. I ANNOUNCED TO THE KOKOMO CTAF THAT I WAS DOWN AND SAFE. I EXITED THE PLANE WITH MY FUEL DIPSTICK IN HAND. THE R TANK WAS BONE DRY AND THE L TANK HAD NEARLY 5 GALS IN IT. A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE PLANE REVEALED NO DAMAGE WHATSOEVER (JUST A LOT OF SOYBEAN LEAVES AND VINES). CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: BEGINNING FLT WITH ONLY VFR DAY MINIMUMS, UNEVEN FUEL FEED FROM WING TANKS.

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.