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When his fuel gauges showed nearly empty and the airport of intended landing was some distance away the pilot of a low wing small aircraft opted to land on a lightly traveled highway and obtain gas for the balance of the journey.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 960291 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201107 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.ARTCC |
| State Reference | US |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Small Aircraft Low Wing 1 Eng Fixed Gear |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Route In Use | Direct |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Fuel System |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Flight Engineer Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Instrument |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 50 Flight Crew Total 28000 Flight Crew Type 1000 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Deviation - Procedural FAR Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue |
Narrative:
Approaching a fuel stop I noticed the fuel gage went from 1/4 to almost empty in a very short period of time. I suspected a fuel leak or a vent problem and made a precautionary landing under power on a sparsely populated highway; which was the only clear area in my immediate vicinity. The landing was uneventful; no injuries; no damage. State troopers and the sheriff's department were very helpful. I inspected the airplane and obtained fuel from the local airport. After the FAA arrived and assisted in the inspection of the aircraft I was allowed to take off with the assistance of the law enforcement personnel. I flew to the nearest airport. I landed uneventfully; refueled the airplane and stored it for further inspection. I was unable to determine why the fuel gage was erratic. It is my belief that because the airplane sat for an extended period of time with empty tanks the float operated fuel gage dried out and was not operating smoothly.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: When his fuel gauges showed nearly empty and the airport of intended landing was some distance away the pilot of a low wing small aircraft opted to land on a lightly traveled highway and obtain gas for the balance of the journey.
Narrative: Approaching a fuel stop I noticed the fuel gage went from 1/4 to almost empty in a very short period of time. I suspected a fuel leak or a vent problem and made a precautionary landing under power on a sparsely populated highway; which was the only clear area in my immediate vicinity. The landing was uneventful; no injuries; no damage. State Troopers and the Sheriff's Department were very helpful. I inspected the airplane and obtained fuel from the local airport. After the FAA arrived and assisted in the inspection of the aircraft I was allowed to take off with the assistance of the law enforcement personnel. I flew to the nearest airport. I landed uneventfully; refueled the airplane and stored it for further inspection. I was unable to determine why the fuel gage was erratic. It is my belief that because the airplane sat for an extended period of time with empty tanks the float operated fuel gage dried out and was not operating smoothly.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.