Narrative:

I arrived at ZZZ1 airport for flight to ZZZ2. Purpose of flight was to pick up my son on the island. I performed a preflight inspection, and also checked log to see when plane was last flown. Log showed flight previous day, and indicated fuel tank was topped off, as per normal procedure. I visually checked tanks and verified that they were full. My flight planning had indicated an en route time of approximately 2 hours 2 min. I planned to fly to ZZZ2, pick up my son, and return without refueling. I chose not to refuel based on the fact that the airplane has a range of 5.8 hours with full tanks according to poh and my own personal experience of previous 4 hour trips with plenty of fuel in reserve. Also, I wanted the airplane to be a little light, due to the fact that ZZZ2 has a 3000 ft runway over water. And I wanted to make sure that I had as much altitude after takeoff as possible, before I had to fly over the gulf waters, knowing that burning off 2 hours of fuel would reduce my weight, and having taken about 2.1 hours to arrive, I calculated I would have at least 3.4 hours of fuel remaining for return trip. The return trip to ZZZ1 was on schedule for another 2 hour duration when the engine suddenly started running very rough about 11 mi southeast of ZZZ airport. I started checking instruments and gauges for source of problem. I pulled carburetor heat and verified that mixture was full rich, and set up best glide speed and turned towards ZZZ. At this time, I was in radar contact with ZZZ ATC, and declared an emergency. I then scanned my hobbs meter, and noted it was showing 4 hours on meter, so I assumed that it was not a fuel starvation problem, but some engine malfunction. I turned on my auxiliary fuel pump switch and verified that fuel selector was set to both tanks. When I was approximately 4 mi from ZZZ, I calculated that I would not be able to make the airport, and I knew that there were residential areas between myself and the airport, with very few alternate landing spots. I then decided to pick a field to land in, and noticed that off to my right was a field that looked to be approximately 4000 ft long and in perfect position for a right turn for final based on my altitude and sink rate. I made another call to ZZZ ATC and notified them that I was going to make landing in field east of ZZZ. At this point, the engine was completely dead, so I shut down all switches and ignition in preparation for landing, and did not want to chance a fire from fuel left in tanks (I was still assuming I had about 13 gallons left in tanks). I cleared the tree line on the west side of field, and as I got lower, I realized it was a corn field with baby corn stalks (about 10 inches high) with rows, so I lined up with the rows and performed a soft field landing. The airplane touched down fairly softly, with a very short rollout. After a few moments, I turned back on master switch and avionics and called ZZZ ATC to let them know I was down safely. An airplane above me relayed the message, and they notified me that emergency personnel had been notified. My son and I exited the airplane to assess damages. The airplane appeared to be undamaged, and the corn field only had about 100 ft of damage on 1 or 2 rows to the corn stalks. I then got a small stepladder out of the back of airplane to check tanks, and noted that they were completely empty. I believe the problem is a fuel leak somewhere in the plane, but as of yet, no mechanic has been allowed to check the plane until the FAA gives permission.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C177 PLT HAS FUEL STARVATION AND MAKES AN OFF ARPT LNDG.

Narrative: I ARRIVED AT ZZZ1 ARPT FOR FLT TO ZZZ2. PURPOSE OF FLT WAS TO PICK UP MY SON ON THE ISLAND. I PERFORMED A PREFLT INSPECTION, AND ALSO CHKED LOG TO SEE WHEN PLANE WAS LAST FLOWN. LOG SHOWED FLT PREVIOUS DAY, AND INDICATED FUEL TANK WAS TOPPED OFF, AS PER NORMAL PROC. I VISUALLY CHKED TANKS AND VERIFIED THAT THEY WERE FULL. MY FLT PLANNING HAD INDICATED AN ENRTE TIME OF APPROX 2 HRS 2 MIN. I PLANNED TO FLY TO ZZZ2, PICK UP MY SON, AND RETURN WITHOUT REFUELING. I CHOSE NOT TO REFUEL BASED ON THE FACT THAT THE AIRPLANE HAS A RANGE OF 5.8 HRS WITH FULL TANKS ACCORDING TO POH AND MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF PREVIOUS 4 HR TRIPS WITH PLENTY OF FUEL IN RESERVE. ALSO, I WANTED THE AIRPLANE TO BE A LITTLE LIGHT, DUE TO THE FACT THAT ZZZ2 HAS A 3000 FT RWY OVER WATER. AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I HAD AS MUCH ALT AFTER TKOF AS POSSIBLE, BEFORE I HAD TO FLY OVER THE GULF WATERS, KNOWING THAT BURNING OFF 2 HRS OF FUEL WOULD REDUCE MY WT, AND HAVING TAKEN ABOUT 2.1 HRS TO ARRIVE, I CALCULATED I WOULD HAVE AT LEAST 3.4 HRS OF FUEL REMAINING FOR RETURN TRIP. THE RETURN TRIP TO ZZZ1 WAS ON SCHEDULE FOR ANOTHER 2 HR DURATION WHEN THE ENG SUDDENLY STARTED RUNNING VERY ROUGH ABOUT 11 MI SE OF ZZZ ARPT. I STARTED CHKING INSTS AND GAUGES FOR SOURCE OF PROB. I PULLED CARB HEAT AND VERIFIED THAT MIXTURE WAS FULL RICH, AND SET UP BEST GLIDE SPD AND TURNED TOWARDS ZZZ. AT THIS TIME, I WAS IN RADAR CONTACT WITH ZZZ ATC, AND DECLARED AN EMER. I THEN SCANNED MY HOBBS METER, AND NOTED IT WAS SHOWING 4 HRS ON METER, SO I ASSUMED THAT IT WAS NOT A FUEL STARVATION PROB, BUT SOME ENG MALFUNCTION. I TURNED ON MY AUX FUEL PUMP SWITCH AND VERIFIED THAT FUEL SELECTOR WAS SET TO BOTH TANKS. WHEN I WAS APPROX 4 MI FROM ZZZ, I CALCULATED THAT I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE THE ARPT, AND I KNEW THAT THERE WERE RESIDENTIAL AREAS BTWN MYSELF AND THE ARPT, WITH VERY FEW ALTERNATE LNDG SPOTS. I THEN DECIDED TO PICK A FIELD TO LAND IN, AND NOTICED THAT OFF TO MY R WAS A FIELD THAT LOOKED TO BE APPROX 4000 FT LONG AND IN PERFECT POS FOR A R TURN FOR FINAL BASED ON MY ALT AND SINK RATE. I MADE ANOTHER CALL TO ZZZ ATC AND NOTIFIED THEM THAT I WAS GOING TO MAKE LNDG IN FIELD E OF ZZZ. AT THIS POINT, THE ENG WAS COMPLETELY DEAD, SO I SHUT DOWN ALL SWITCHES AND IGNITION IN PREPARATION FOR LNDG, AND DID NOT WANT TO CHANCE A FIRE FROM FUEL LEFT IN TANKS (I WAS STILL ASSUMING I HAD ABOUT 13 GALLONS LEFT IN TANKS). I CLRED THE TREE LINE ON THE W SIDE OF FIELD, AND AS I GOT LOWER, I REALIZED IT WAS A CORN FIELD WITH BABY CORN STALKS (ABOUT 10 INCHES HIGH) WITH ROWS, SO I LINED UP WITH THE ROWS AND PERFORMED A SOFT FIELD LNDG. THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN FAIRLY SOFTLY, WITH A VERY SHORT ROLLOUT. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS, I TURNED BACK ON MASTER SWITCH AND AVIONICS AND CALLED ZZZ ATC TO LET THEM KNOW I WAS DOWN SAFELY. AN AIRPLANE ABOVE ME RELAYED THE MESSAGE, AND THEY NOTIFIED ME THAT EMER PERSONNEL HAD BEEN NOTIFIED. MY SON AND I EXITED THE AIRPLANE TO ASSESS DAMAGES. THE AIRPLANE APPEARED TO BE UNDAMAGED, AND THE CORN FIELD ONLY HAD ABOUT 100 FT OF DAMAGE ON 1 OR 2 ROWS TO THE CORN STALKS. I THEN GOT A SMALL STEPLADDER OUT OF THE BACK OF AIRPLANE TO CHK TANKS, AND NOTED THAT THEY WERE COMPLETELY EMPTY. I BELIEVE THE PROB IS A FUEL LEAK SOMEWHERE IN THE PLANE, BUT AS OF YET, NO MECH HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO CHK THE PLANE UNTIL THE FAA GIVES PERMISSION.

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.