Narrative:

Our flight was planned as a 1-DAY round trip from aao to lwc and back. Available preflight information was researched. This included a duats aircraft specific profile with current wind calculations. A flight plan was entered. The preflight specifically went over the fuel quantity information placarded just aft of the wing fuel ports. Aircraft had over 54 gals fuel on board prior to departure. I determined this based on direct visual inspection of the fuel level relative to each wing tank's metal tab. Fuel was above the bottom of each metal tab by approximately 2 gals per side. This should give us 58 useable gals. I reviewed the return-to-service card placed by aircraft services in response to recently submitted squawks. The corrective action section in the on board trip log declared the left fuel gauge free of abnormalities. We eventually departed with newton and salina as our initial legs. Cruise altitude was 7000 ft MSL. The WX continued to move eastward. Better tailwinds came with each direct clearance. The fuel gauge trends (after leaning) appeared reasonable. Fuel balance was managed by time on each tank and by needle trend. Prior to departure for our return to aao, I performed a standard preflight inspection. This included direct visual confirmation of fuel in each tank. No more than 20 gals of fuel should have been turned between wichita and lawrence. Better WX allowed for a direct route to aao on our return. Cruise was at 8000 ft MSL. I noted sluggish and erratic fuel gauge needle trends on the left gauge through the cruise portion of the flight. I was given descent clearance at pilot discretion and then a frequency change from ZKC over to wichita approach I was still coupled on autoplt, in a smooth letdown using VNAV. It was after check-in with ict that the engine began running rough. I immediately switched tanks (left to right) and waited for response. I then reached to go to low boost on the electric fuel pump. The engine simultaneously spooled down and I hit the yoke disconnect for the autoplt. I pitched to 110 KTS indicated and went to high boost. I declared an emergency at this point. I simultaneously pushed the mixture up an additional inch for full forward/rich. The engine returned to full power and I pitched for a slight climb. Nothing was touched but the yoke and manual trim wheel. This return of power was short lived, the engine again spooled down to a windmill. I looked at the garmin 430 screen data and decided I couldn't glide to 1k1 (benton). I flipped the boost pump off. I turned towards the biggest, darkest square of land that I could see within a cone under our position while slowing to approximately 90 KTS indicated. Cycling the magneto switch and pulling the alternate air handle exhausted my restart efforts so I committed to landing. I did not have sufficient late visual references with which to accurately flare so we impacted the ground at approximately 85 KTS indicated. 2 skips were followed by an abrupt pivot and stop. I ganged off the switches. I grabbed a flashlight, exited the aircraft. We called 911 and reported our successful forced landing. I gave position reports to help guide ground vehicles towards us. Contributing factors: night, fatigue, gauge failure, inaccuracy.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BE36 PLT WITH FAMILY MEMBERS ON BOARD PERFORMS AN OFF ARPT EMER NIGHT LNDG WHEN THE ENG FAILS DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION 25 NM NE OF ICT, KS.

Narrative: OUR FLT WAS PLANNED AS A 1-DAY ROUND TRIP FROM AAO TO LWC AND BACK. AVAILABLE PREFLT INFO WAS RESEARCHED. THIS INCLUDED A DUATS ACFT SPECIFIC PROFILE WITH CURRENT WIND CALCULATIONS. A FLT PLAN WAS ENTERED. THE PREFLT SPECIFICALLY WENT OVER THE FUEL QUANTITY INFO PLACARDED JUST AFT OF THE WING FUEL PORTS. ACFT HAD OVER 54 GALS FUEL ON BOARD PRIOR TO DEP. I DETERMINED THIS BASED ON DIRECT VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE FUEL LEVEL RELATIVE TO EACH WING TANK'S METAL TAB. FUEL WAS ABOVE THE BOTTOM OF EACH METAL TAB BY APPROX 2 GALS PER SIDE. THIS SHOULD GIVE US 58 USEABLE GALS. I REVIEWED THE RETURN-TO-SVC CARD PLACED BY ACFT SVCS IN RESPONSE TO RECENTLY SUBMITTED SQUAWKS. THE CORRECTIVE ACTION SECTION IN THE ON BOARD TRIP LOG DECLARED THE L FUEL GAUGE FREE OF ABNORMALITIES. WE EVENTUALLY DEPARTED WITH NEWTON AND SALINA AS OUR INITIAL LEGS. CRUISE ALT WAS 7000 FT MSL. THE WX CONTINUED TO MOVE EASTWARD. BETTER TAILWINDS CAME WITH EACH DIRECT CLRNC. THE FUEL GAUGE TRENDS (AFTER LEANING) APPEARED REASONABLE. FUEL BAL WAS MANAGED BY TIME ON EACH TANK AND BY NEEDLE TREND. PRIOR TO DEP FOR OUR RETURN TO AAO, I PERFORMED A STANDARD PREFLT INSPECTION. THIS INCLUDED DIRECT VISUAL CONFIRMATION OF FUEL IN EACH TANK. NO MORE THAN 20 GALS OF FUEL SHOULD HAVE BEEN TURNED BTWN WICHITA AND LAWRENCE. BETTER WX ALLOWED FOR A DIRECT RTE TO AAO ON OUR RETURN. CRUISE WAS AT 8000 FT MSL. I NOTED SLUGGISH AND ERRATIC FUEL GAUGE NEEDLE TRENDS ON THE L GAUGE THROUGH THE CRUISE PORTION OF THE FLT. I WAS GIVEN DSCNT CLRNC AT PLT DISCRETION AND THEN A FREQ CHANGE FROM ZKC OVER TO WICHITA APCH I WAS STILL COUPLED ON AUTOPLT, IN A SMOOTH LETDOWN USING VNAV. IT WAS AFTER CHK-IN WITH ICT THAT THE ENG BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH. I IMMEDIATELY SWITCHED TANKS (L TO R) AND WAITED FOR RESPONSE. I THEN REACHED TO GO TO LOW BOOST ON THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP. THE ENG SIMULTANEOUSLY SPOOLED DOWN AND I HIT THE YOKE DISCONNECT FOR THE AUTOPLT. I PITCHED TO 110 KTS INDICATED AND WENT TO HIGH BOOST. I DECLARED AN EMER AT THIS POINT. I SIMULTANEOUSLY PUSHED THE MIXTURE UP AN ADDITIONAL INCH FOR FULL FORWARD/RICH. THE ENG RETURNED TO FULL PWR AND I PITCHED FOR A SLIGHT CLB. NOTHING WAS TOUCHED BUT THE YOKE AND MANUAL TRIM WHEEL. THIS RETURN OF PWR WAS SHORT LIVED, THE ENG AGAIN SPOOLED DOWN TO A WINDMILL. I LOOKED AT THE GARMIN 430 SCREEN DATA AND DECIDED I COULDN'T GLIDE TO 1K1 (BENTON). I FLIPPED THE BOOST PUMP OFF. I TURNED TOWARDS THE BIGGEST, DARKEST SQUARE OF LAND THAT I COULD SEE WITHIN A CONE UNDER OUR POS WHILE SLOWING TO APPROX 90 KTS INDICATED. CYCLING THE MAGNETO SWITCH AND PULLING THE ALTERNATE AIR HANDLE EXHAUSTED MY RESTART EFFORTS SO I COMMITTED TO LNDG. I DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT LATE VISUAL REFS WITH WHICH TO ACCURATELY FLARE SO WE IMPACTED THE GND AT APPROX 85 KTS INDICATED. 2 SKIPS WERE FOLLOWED BY AN ABRUPT PIVOT AND STOP. I GANGED OFF THE SWITCHES. I GRABBED A FLASHLIGHT, EXITED THE ACFT. WE CALLED 911 AND RPTED OUR SUCCESSFUL FORCED LNDG. I GAVE POS RPTS TO HELP GUIDE GND VEHICLES TOWARDS US. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: NIGHT, FATIGUE, GAUGE FAILURE, INACCURACY.

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.