A low time private pilot performs an off airport emergency landing on a major highway during a night...

Attributes
ACN	565332
Time
Date	200211
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : lul.airport
State Reference	MS
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 2200
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : lax.tower
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	cruise : level
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 15 flight time total : 120 flight time type : 70
ASRS Report	565332
Person 2
Function	observation : passenger
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical conflict : ground critical ground encounters : vehicle inflight encounter other non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : landed in emergency condition other
Consequence	other other
Miss Distance	horizontal : 1500 vertical : 0
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Aircraft Environmental Factor Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

I was on a return trip from 8m1 airport to hbg airport. The trip is 172 NM. I had 3 passenger on board. Over newton ms, easom airport (M23), located 42 NM north of eaton VOR, one of my passenger asked if I would land because he was not used to flying at night and needed a rest from flying for a few mins. I then landed at newton. While on the ground at newton, I decided that I would take on fuel since the tanks were showing 1/4 tank on each side. It was after hours when we landed and there was no callout person to get fuel. I took a fuel dipstick and checked the left wing, which showed just over 10 gallons. I then checked the right fuel tank with the dipstick and it showed just under 10 gallons of fuel. I knew that I had enough fuel to get to hattiesburg chain. We departed newton and headed south to intercept the eaton VOR, the DME read 42 NM. Due to low clouds, I turned sse towards laurel, ms (ADF tuned to 346). While avoiding clouds, I passed laurel on the east side. I then came over a city (found out later this was waynesboro, ms) and tried to find an airport with no luck. After several passes, I decided to fly the ADF needle straight to laurel. About 5 mins past waynesboro at 2200 ft, the engine sounded as if it was getting no fuel. The fuel gauges were showing between 1/4 and empty on the left side and barely under 1/4 on the right side. I turned the fuel selector switch to the right side and nothing happened. I then turned the fuel switch back to both. The engine finally quit. I was following a highway back towards laurel and decided to make an emergency landing on the highway. I spotted 2 cars on the highway separated by about 1/2 mi and decided to land between them. I made the forced emergency landing on highway 84 east, 6 SM east of interstate 59. It was only 5 NM to the laurel airport where I trained as a student pilot. Upon inspection of the plane, the right wing fuel cap was off. Both fuel tanks were dry. I was told that the suction on the right wing could show fuel on the right side when there was none. The problem arose when I failed to properly secure the right fuel cap. Contributing factors: I was in a hurry to get back to hattiesburg, I failed to do a proper walkaround inspection of the airplane. I was upset with the changing WX, since it was such a good flight going up I did not file a flight plan on the return trip. Corrective actions: better flight planning, proper walkaround inspection.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A LOW TIME PVT PLT PERFORMS AN OFF ARPT EMER LNDG ON A MAJOR HWY DURING A NIGHT OP WHEN HIS C172 SUFFERS AN INFLT ENG SHUTDOWN DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION 5 NM S OF LUL, MS.

Narrative: I WAS ON A RETURN TRIP FROM 8M1 ARPT TO HBG ARPT. THE TRIP IS 172 NM. I HAD 3 PAX ON BOARD. OVER NEWTON MS, EASOM ARPT (M23), LOCATED 42 NM N OF EATON VOR, ONE OF MY PAX ASKED IF I WOULD LAND BECAUSE HE WAS NOT USED TO FLYING AT NIGHT AND NEEDED A REST FROM FLYING FOR A FEW MINS. I THEN LANDED AT NEWTON. WHILE ON THE GND AT NEWTON, I DECIDED THAT I WOULD TAKE ON FUEL SINCE THE TANKS WERE SHOWING 1/4 TANK ON EACH SIDE. IT WAS AFTER HRS WHEN WE LANDED AND THERE WAS NO CALLOUT PERSON TO GET FUEL. I TOOK A FUEL DIPSTICK AND CHKED THE L WING, WHICH SHOWED JUST OVER 10 GALLONS. I THEN CHKED THE R FUEL TANK WITH THE DIPSTICK AND IT SHOWED JUST UNDER 10 GALLONS OF FUEL. I KNEW THAT I HAD ENOUGH FUEL TO GET TO HATTIESBURG CHAIN. WE DEPARTED NEWTON AND HEADED S TO INTERCEPT THE EATON VOR, THE DME READ 42 NM. DUE TO LOW CLOUDS, I TURNED SSE TOWARDS LAUREL, MS (ADF TUNED TO 346). WHILE AVOIDING CLOUDS, I PASSED LAUREL ON THE E SIDE. I THEN CAME OVER A CITY (FOUND OUT LATER THIS WAS WAYNESBORO, MS) AND TRIED TO FIND AN ARPT WITH NO LUCK. AFTER SEVERAL PASSES, I DECIDED TO FLY THE ADF NEEDLE STRAIGHT TO LAUREL. ABOUT 5 MINS PAST WAYNESBORO AT 2200 FT, THE ENG SOUNDED AS IF IT WAS GETTING NO FUEL. THE FUEL GAUGES WERE SHOWING BTWN 1/4 AND EMPTY ON THE L SIDE AND BARELY UNDER 1/4 ON THE R SIDE. I TURNED THE FUEL SELECTOR SWITCH TO THE R SIDE AND NOTHING HAPPENED. I THEN TURNED THE FUEL SWITCH BACK TO BOTH. THE ENG FINALLY QUIT. I WAS FOLLOWING A HWY BACK TOWARDS LAUREL AND DECIDED TO MAKE AN EMER LNDG ON THE HWY. I SPOTTED 2 CARS ON THE HWY SEPARATED BY ABOUT 1/2 MI AND DECIDED TO LAND BTWN THEM. I MADE THE FORCED EMER LNDG ON HWY 84 E, 6 SM E OF INTERSTATE 59. IT WAS ONLY 5 NM TO THE LAUREL ARPT WHERE I TRAINED AS A STUDENT PLT. UPON INSPECTION OF THE PLANE, THE R WING FUEL CAP WAS OFF. BOTH FUEL TANKS WERE DRY. I WAS TOLD THAT THE SUCTION ON THE R WING COULD SHOW FUEL ON THE R SIDE WHEN THERE WAS NONE. THE PROB AROSE WHEN I FAILED TO PROPERLY SECURE THE R FUEL CAP. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: I WAS IN A HURRY TO GET BACK TO HATTIESBURG, I FAILED TO DO A PROPER WALKAROUND INSPECTION OF THE AIRPLANE. I WAS UPSET WITH THE CHANGING WX, SINCE IT WAS SUCH A GOOD FLT GOING UP I DID NOT FILE A FLT PLAN ON THE RETURN TRIP. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: BETTER FLT PLANNING, PROPER WALKAROUND INSPECTION.

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.

A low time private pilot performs an off airport emergency landing on a major highway during a night operation when his C172 suffers an in-flight engine shutdown due to fuel exhaustion 5 NM south of lul, ms.