Narrative:

This is being written in concern to the incident involving the C182, operated for skydiving making an emergency landing off field. When I arrived at ZZZ, I noticed that all 3 airplanes were on the ramp ready to go. I did not find this strange in any way. I ended up going inside the hangar for about 3 hours with some new pilots that wanted to fly for this operation and sat in on an instructor. He was there to lay out the SOP's and safety guidelines of the operation to the new pilots. The owner came over and motioned that we had a tandem load ready to go and for me to start up the airplane. I did a walkaround on it. Since the owner always preflts the airplanes, I did not find it necessary to spend the time to dip the fuel tanks, which generally I would do, but he told me that it was already done. I started up the plane and taxied to the end of runway 3 and did my run-up. After all was well, I departed and made my way to 11500 ft MSL. At this altitude I dropped 4 skydivers. I then made left descending turns all the way down to pattern altitude. When I landed and pulled up to the hangar, a skydiver motioned to me to keep the engine running because there was another tandem ready to go. I asked him to ask the owner if this was going to be the second or third load on these tanks. Since I was in that meeting, I didn't know if this plane had flown before I had come out or not. He said that there was only 1 load out of them. I sort of questioned that, so I radioed the other pilot sitting on the ground and asked him the same thing. I figured he would know since he was flying while I was in the meeting. I took both of their words for it. I departed once again for 11500 ft MSL. After I got to altitude and dropped off 4 more passenger, I again made my way down. This time though, at around 5000 ft MSL, I heard the engine start to sputter and then wind down. After a brief moment of disbelief, I started brainstorming and using my checklist. The first thing I did was pull out the carburetor heat. I then thought about the fuel and how the gravity tanks work. I turned the fuel selector valve from 'both' to 'left' and started banking the plane to the right. After a few seconds I tried starting the engine and nothing happened. I then returned to straight and level to keep my best glide speed. After another brief moment, I tried the right bank and start procedure again and still nothing. About this time I was at about 3500 ft MSL and looking for fields to land. Approach came on and was about to give me a frequency change. I stopped his command and told him that I have had an engine failure and was going to try to make it back to ZZZ. He came back with winds and the pressure. After about 10-15 seconds, I realized that, with my headwinds and altitude, I didn't have the time to make it back. I told approach that I wouldn't be able to make ZZZ and would have to put it down on a field. Also, that I would need ZZZ to tell my company traffic of my situation. When I switched frequencys, I got a hold of company and told him my situation and position from the airport. After that, I set myself up for a base to final leg at a nicely cleared field that was into the wind. I brought the plane in for landing. As I got close to the ground, I dumped the flaps and let it settle to the ground. When the aircraft came to a halt, I checked my extremities to see if they were still attached. I shut down the power and exited the aircraft. My belief to what really caused this problem was mismanagement of fuel, by letting 1 tank get lower than the other, or a lack of fuel to begin with. To prevent this reoccurrence from happening again, I will make sure I never become complacent again on my fuel. Also, I will need to start making more r-hand banking turns to keep the fuel flow even. Callback from reporter revealed the following information: the reporter explained that when the C182 was banked left, the right tank fed the carburetor, thus using almost all of the fuel in the right tank, leaving, '-but a smidgen-' there were about 4.5 gals in the left tank, but since the carburetor had been 'drained dry,' the engine refused the air start attempt. The fuel gauges were inoperative and had been for quite a while, thus the need to drip the tanks. Reporter surmised that the owner/manager had done the annual inspection 2 days prior to this flight and had filled the tanks, then performed a number of engine run ups, depleting the total amount of fuel without replenishing the tanks. No previous loads had been flown prior to the reporter's. As far as the reporter knows, the C182 is the only aircraft he has flown that has this gravity tank feed system. The aircraft was a 1962 model. The FAA came out the next day and did not make an issue of the incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C182 SKYDIVING PLT PERFORMS AN EMER OFF ARPT LNDG WHEN HIS ENG FAILS FROM FUEL EXHAUSTION 5 MI SW OF ZZZ, US.

Narrative: THIS IS BEING WRITTEN IN CONCERN TO THE INCIDENT INVOLVING THE C182, OPERATED FOR SKYDIVING MAKING AN EMER LNDG OFF FIELD. WHEN I ARRIVED AT ZZZ, I NOTICED THAT ALL 3 AIRPLANES WERE ON THE RAMP READY TO GO. I DID NOT FIND THIS STRANGE IN ANY WAY. I ENDED UP GOING INSIDE THE HANGAR FOR ABOUT 3 HRS WITH SOME NEW PLTS THAT WANTED TO FLY FOR THIS OP AND SAT IN ON AN INSTRUCTOR. HE WAS THERE TO LAY OUT THE SOP'S AND SAFETY GUIDELINES OF THE OP TO THE NEW PLTS. THE OWNER CAME OVER AND MOTIONED THAT WE HAD A TANDEM LOAD READY TO GO AND FOR ME TO START UP THE AIRPLANE. I DID A WALKAROUND ON IT. SINCE THE OWNER ALWAYS PREFLTS THE AIRPLANES, I DID NOT FIND IT NECESSARY TO SPEND THE TIME TO DIP THE FUEL TANKS, WHICH GENERALLY I WOULD DO, BUT HE TOLD ME THAT IT WAS ALREADY DONE. I STARTED UP THE PLANE AND TAXIED TO THE END OF RWY 3 AND DID MY RUN-UP. AFTER ALL WAS WELL, I DEPARTED AND MADE MY WAY TO 11500 FT MSL. AT THIS ALT I DROPPED 4 SKYDIVERS. I THEN MADE L DSNDING TURNS ALL THE WAY DOWN TO PATTERN ALT. WHEN I LANDED AND PULLED UP TO THE HANGAR, A SKYDIVER MOTIONED TO ME TO KEEP THE ENG RUNNING BECAUSE THERE WAS ANOTHER TANDEM READY TO GO. I ASKED HIM TO ASK THE OWNER IF THIS WAS GOING TO BE THE SECOND OR THIRD LOAD ON THESE TANKS. SINCE I WAS IN THAT MEETING, I DIDN'T KNOW IF THIS PLANE HAD FLOWN BEFORE I HAD COME OUT OR NOT. HE SAID THAT THERE WAS ONLY 1 LOAD OUT OF THEM. I SORT OF QUESTIONED THAT, SO I RADIOED THE OTHER PLT SITTING ON THE GND AND ASKED HIM THE SAME THING. I FIGURED HE WOULD KNOW SINCE HE WAS FLYING WHILE I WAS IN THE MEETING. I TOOK BOTH OF THEIR WORDS FOR IT. I DEPARTED ONCE AGAIN FOR 11500 FT MSL. AFTER I GOT TO ALT AND DROPPED OFF 4 MORE PAX, I AGAIN MADE MY WAY DOWN. THIS TIME THOUGH, AT AROUND 5000 FT MSL, I HEARD THE ENG START TO SPUTTER AND THEN WIND DOWN. AFTER A BRIEF MOMENT OF DISBELIEF, I STARTED BRAINSTORMING AND USING MY CHKLIST. THE FIRST THING I DID WAS PULL OUT THE CARB HEAT. I THEN THOUGHT ABOUT THE FUEL AND HOW THE GRAVITY TANKS WORK. I TURNED THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE FROM 'BOTH' TO 'L' AND STARTED BANKING THE PLANE TO THE R. AFTER A FEW SECONDS I TRIED STARTING THE ENG AND NOTHING HAPPENED. I THEN RETURNED TO STRAIGHT AND LEVEL TO KEEP MY BEST GLIDE SPD. AFTER ANOTHER BRIEF MOMENT, I TRIED THE R BANK AND START PROC AGAIN AND STILL NOTHING. ABOUT THIS TIME I WAS AT ABOUT 3500 FT MSL AND LOOKING FOR FIELDS TO LAND. APCH CAME ON AND WAS ABOUT TO GIVE ME A FREQ CHANGE. I STOPPED HIS COMMAND AND TOLD HIM THAT I HAVE HAD AN ENG FAILURE AND WAS GOING TO TRY TO MAKE IT BACK TO ZZZ. HE CAME BACK WITH WINDS AND THE PRESSURE. AFTER ABOUT 10-15 SECONDS, I REALIZED THAT, WITH MY HEADWINDS AND ALT, I DIDN'T HAVE THE TIME TO MAKE IT BACK. I TOLD APCH THAT I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO MAKE ZZZ AND WOULD HAVE TO PUT IT DOWN ON A FIELD. ALSO, THAT I WOULD NEED ZZZ TO TELL MY COMPANY TFC OF MY SIT. WHEN I SWITCHED FREQS, I GOT A HOLD OF COMPANY AND TOLD HIM MY SIT AND POS FROM THE ARPT. AFTER THAT, I SET MYSELF UP FOR A BASE TO FINAL LEG AT A NICELY CLRED FIELD THAT WAS INTO THE WIND. I BROUGHT THE PLANE IN FOR LNDG. AS I GOT CLOSE TO THE GND, I DUMPED THE FLAPS AND LET IT SETTLE TO THE GND. WHEN THE ACFT CAME TO A HALT, I CHKED MY EXTREMITIES TO SEE IF THEY WERE STILL ATTACHED. I SHUT DOWN THE PWR AND EXITED THE ACFT. MY BELIEF TO WHAT REALLY CAUSED THIS PROB WAS MISMANAGEMENT OF FUEL, BY LETTING 1 TANK GET LOWER THAN THE OTHER, OR A LACK OF FUEL TO BEGIN WITH. TO PREVENT THIS REOCCURRENCE FROM HAPPENING AGAIN, I WILL MAKE SURE I NEVER BECOME COMPLACENT AGAIN ON MY FUEL. ALSO, I WILL NEED TO START MAKING MORE R-HAND BANKING TURNS TO KEEP THE FUEL FLOW EVEN. CALLBACK FROM RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR EXPLAINED THAT WHEN THE C182 WAS BANKED L, THE R TANK FED THE CARB, THUS USING ALMOST ALL OF THE FUEL IN THE R TANK, LEAVING, '-BUT A SMIDGEN-' THERE WERE ABOUT 4.5 GALS IN THE L TANK, BUT SINCE THE CARB HAD BEEN 'DRAINED DRY,' THE ENG REFUSED THE AIR START ATTEMPT. THE FUEL GAUGES WERE INOP AND HAD BEEN FOR QUITE A WHILE, THUS THE NEED TO DRIP THE TANKS. RPTR SURMISED THAT THE OWNER/MGR HAD DONE THE ANNUAL INSPECTION 2 DAYS PRIOR TO THIS FLT AND HAD FILLED THE TANKS, THEN PERFORMED A NUMBER OF ENG RUN UPS, DEPLETING THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF FUEL WITHOUT REPLENISHING THE TANKS. NO PREVIOUS LOADS HAD BEEN FLOWN PRIOR TO THE RPTR'S. AS FAR AS THE RPTR KNOWS, THE C182 IS THE ONLY ACFT HE HAS FLOWN THAT HAS THIS GRAVITY TANK FEED SYS. THE ACFT WAS A 1962 MODEL. THE FAA CAME OUT THE NEXT DAY AND DID NOT MAKE AN ISSUE OF THE INCIDENT.

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.