Narrative:

I was IFR en route from ZZZ1 to ZZZ2 with a fuel stop; a trip I have made several times in the past 4 yrs. The expected time en route was 3 hours; 15 mins per the flight planner. Fuel on board was 4.1 hours at 10 gph. There was an extensive WX system producing green and yellow returns along most of my route so I was constantly checking the metars through my onboard xm WX. At 100 mi out; ZZZ was 200 and 3 mi visibility. I switched to ZZZ3 because I had been there before and they had an ILS 8 which was well aligned with the reported wind. At 100 mi; ZZZ3 needed about a 20 degree right turn. ZZZ3 was essentially the same distance as ZZZ and I was expecting to arrive there in about the same flight time. Critically; at this point; I did not look at the ground speed. I had been making about 124 KTS on the way down and expected that the 20 degree turn would result in about the same speed. At this time; I was on the third hour of fuel; having burned 2 hours out of the left tank. Neither tank was quite full when the trip started so when the second hour of burn was completed the left tank gauge showed below 5 gals remaining; and in an area I knew to be very unreliable in predicting remaining fuel. In fact; in this area; I knew that a bank or pitch down could result in unporting of the fuel pickup and cause fuel starvation. I looked at the ground speed and was astounded to find it was 84 KTS. I checked all gauges to see if something was wrong with the plane but nothing showed up. The wind arrows showing on the xm display were the same as I had been seeing and would not have caused 40 KTS change. I was given the GPS 8 as the ILS was OTS and was being vectored to the final approach course. It was going to be a long time before I would even be turned onto the final approach course. By this time; the right tank (tank being used) fuel gauge had also descended into the unreliable zone. I requested an early turn on to final because I was fuel critical. A little more time went by and with the very low speed I was making over the ground; and with unknown fuel reserves; I declared an emergency. ATC immediately suggested ZZZ4. I accepted and was given the frequencys for their ILS and their ground controled approach controller. I was very grateful; but the situation started deteriorating. At this point I was close to task overload. I needed to set my 430 to go direct to ZZZ AFB. I could see the airport depicted on the 430 display; but I didn't see how I was going to be able to access it; so I made no changes. When I either turned or pitched down; I can't recall which; the fuel unported and power was lost. Recognizing this for what it was; I immediately switched tanks and the engine restarted. At this point the tank that was registering fullest had unported; and the tank switched to had a similar; but unknown amount of fuel. Now I truly went into task overload with about an iq of 10. Situational awareness was nonexistent. I did not know where I was. The controller was the only person who knew where I was. Controller said they showed me north of the localizer and even though I could see the needle pegged to the right; I could not decide which way to turn. Finally I started correcting; all the while the controller was in the background giving the only situational awareness there was. Finally; when I was advised I could go no lower and would have to go around (I was virtually terrified that there was not enough fuel to do any going around) I had some ground contact and was looking down on runway xx at about a 45 degree angle and about two-thirds of the way past the threshold. I announced that I was circling to land on runway yy and landed downwind. I was met by fire trucks and a follow me to the military base side and a lot of paperwork and questioning. I didn't care; I was safely on the ground. I have always made sure I have enough fuel for any trip and that there is both a legal and a comfortable amount of fuel remaining after landing. There were 2 links in this chain: first was missing the extraordinary wind vales en route from my WX briefing; and the second was not noticing the 40 KT drop from a 20 degree heading change for fartoo long a time. In this case; I think the problem is also part of the corrective action. Having experienced this fuel exhaustion emergency; it will forever be a very forceful reminder to constantly evaluate fuel status. I will also re-familiarize myself with my GPS so I can enter emergency data without having to think.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28 PLT FAILED TO MONITOR GROUNDSPEED; DECLARED AN EMER DUE TO LOW FUEL; BECAME TASK SATURATED; AND LOST SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. GCA CTLR GUIDED PLT TO A LNDG AT A MIL FIELD.

Narrative: I WAS IFR ENRTE FROM ZZZ1 TO ZZZ2 WITH A FUEL STOP; A TRIP I HAVE MADE SEVERAL TIMES IN THE PAST 4 YRS. THE EXPECTED TIME ENRTE WAS 3 HRS; 15 MINS PER THE FLT PLANNER. FUEL ON BOARD WAS 4.1 HRS AT 10 GPH. THERE WAS AN EXTENSIVE WX SYS PRODUCING GREEN AND YELLOW RETURNS ALONG MOST OF MY RTE SO I WAS CONSTANTLY CHKING THE METARS THROUGH MY ONBOARD XM WX. AT 100 MI OUT; ZZZ WAS 200 AND 3 MI VISIBILITY. I SWITCHED TO ZZZ3 BECAUSE I HAD BEEN THERE BEFORE AND THEY HAD AN ILS 8 WHICH WAS WELL ALIGNED WITH THE RPTED WIND. AT 100 MI; ZZZ3 NEEDED ABOUT A 20 DEG R TURN. ZZZ3 WAS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME DISTANCE AS ZZZ AND I WAS EXPECTING TO ARRIVE THERE IN ABOUT THE SAME FLT TIME. CRITICALLY; AT THIS POINT; I DID NOT LOOK AT THE GND SPD. I HAD BEEN MAKING ABOUT 124 KTS ON THE WAY DOWN AND EXPECTED THAT THE 20 DEG TURN WOULD RESULT IN ABOUT THE SAME SPD. AT THIS TIME; I WAS ON THE THIRD HR OF FUEL; HAVING BURNED 2 HRS OUT OF THE L TANK. NEITHER TANK WAS QUITE FULL WHEN THE TRIP STARTED SO WHEN THE SECOND HR OF BURN WAS COMPLETED THE L TANK GAUGE SHOWED BELOW 5 GALS REMAINING; AND IN AN AREA I KNEW TO BE VERY UNRELIABLE IN PREDICTING REMAINING FUEL. IN FACT; IN THIS AREA; I KNEW THAT A BANK OR PITCH DOWN COULD RESULT IN UNPORTING OF THE FUEL PICKUP AND CAUSE FUEL STARVATION. I LOOKED AT THE GND SPD AND WAS ASTOUNDED TO FIND IT WAS 84 KTS. I CHKED ALL GAUGES TO SEE IF SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE PLANE BUT NOTHING SHOWED UP. THE WIND ARROWS SHOWING ON THE XM DISPLAY WERE THE SAME AS I HAD BEEN SEEING AND WOULD NOT HAVE CAUSED 40 KTS CHANGE. I WAS GIVEN THE GPS 8 AS THE ILS WAS OTS AND WAS BEING VECTORED TO THE FINAL APCH COURSE. IT WAS GOING TO BE A LONG TIME BEFORE I WOULD EVEN BE TURNED ONTO THE FINAL APCH COURSE. BY THIS TIME; THE R TANK (TANK BEING USED) FUEL GAUGE HAD ALSO DSNDED INTO THE UNRELIABLE ZONE. I REQUESTED AN EARLY TURN ON TO FINAL BECAUSE I WAS FUEL CRITICAL. A LITTLE MORE TIME WENT BY AND WITH THE VERY LOW SPD I WAS MAKING OVER THE GND; AND WITH UNKNOWN FUEL RESERVES; I DECLARED AN EMER. ATC IMMEDIATELY SUGGESTED ZZZ4. I ACCEPTED AND WAS GIVEN THE FREQS FOR THEIR ILS AND THEIR GND CTLED APCH CTLR. I WAS VERY GRATEFUL; BUT THE SITUATION STARTED DETERIORATING. AT THIS POINT I WAS CLOSE TO TASK OVERLOAD. I NEEDED TO SET MY 430 TO GO DIRECT TO ZZZ AFB. I COULD SEE THE ARPT DEPICTED ON THE 430 DISPLAY; BUT I DIDN'T SEE HOW I WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS IT; SO I MADE NO CHANGES. WHEN I EITHER TURNED OR PITCHED DOWN; I CAN'T RECALL WHICH; THE FUEL UNPORTED AND PWR WAS LOST. RECOGNIZING THIS FOR WHAT IT WAS; I IMMEDIATELY SWITCHED TANKS AND THE ENG RESTARTED. AT THIS POINT THE TANK THAT WAS REGISTERING FULLEST HAD UNPORTED; AND THE TANK SWITCHED TO HAD A SIMILAR; BUT UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF FUEL. NOW I TRULY WENT INTO TASK OVERLOAD WITH ABOUT AN IQ OF 10. SITUATIONAL AWARENESS WAS NONEXISTENT. I DID NOT KNOW WHERE I WAS. THE CTLR WAS THE ONLY PERSON WHO KNEW WHERE I WAS. CTLR SAID THEY SHOWED ME N OF THE LOC AND EVEN THOUGH I COULD SEE THE NEEDLE PEGGED TO THE R; I COULD NOT DECIDE WHICH WAY TO TURN. FINALLY I STARTED CORRECTING; ALL THE WHILE THE CTLR WAS IN THE BACKGROUND GIVING THE ONLY SITUATIONAL AWARENESS THERE WAS. FINALLY; WHEN I WAS ADVISED I COULD GO NO LOWER AND WOULD HAVE TO GO AROUND (I WAS VIRTUALLY TERRIFIED THAT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH FUEL TO DO ANY GOING AROUND) I HAD SOME GND CONTACT AND WAS LOOKING DOWN ON RWY XX AT ABOUT A 45 DEG ANGLE AND ABOUT TWO-THIRDS OF THE WAY PAST THE THRESHOLD. I ANNOUNCED THAT I WAS CIRCLING TO LAND ON RWY YY AND LANDED DOWNWIND. I WAS MET BY FIRE TRUCKS AND A FOLLOW ME TO THE MIL BASE SIDE AND A LOT OF PAPERWORK AND QUESTIONING. I DIDN'T CARE; I WAS SAFELY ON THE GND. I HAVE ALWAYS MADE SURE I HAVE ENOUGH FUEL FOR ANY TRIP AND THAT THERE IS BOTH A LEGAL AND A COMFORTABLE AMOUNT OF FUEL REMAINING AFTER LNDG. THERE WERE 2 LINKS IN THIS CHAIN: FIRST WAS MISSING THE EXTRAORDINARY WIND VALES ENRTE FROM MY WX BRIEFING; AND THE SECOND WAS NOT NOTICING THE 40 KT DROP FROM A 20 DEG HDG CHANGE FOR FARTOO LONG A TIME. IN THIS CASE; I THINK THE PROB IS ALSO PART OF THE CORRECTIVE ACTION. HAVING EXPERIENCED THIS FUEL EXHAUSTION EMER; IT WILL FOREVER BE A VERY FORCEFUL REMINDER TO CONSTANTLY EVAL FUEL STATUS. I WILL ALSO RE-FAMILIARIZE MYSELF WITH MY GPS SO I CAN ENTER EMER DATA WITHOUT HAVING TO THINK.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.