Forced landing due to fuel starvation.

Attributes
ACN	144561
Time
Date	199005
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : msy airport : new
State Reference	LA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : instructional
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft, High Wing, 1 Eng, Fixed Gear
Flight Phase	landing other other
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	instruction : trainee
Qualification	pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 30 flight time total : 105 flight time type : 8
ASRS Report	144561
Person 2
Affiliation	Other
Function	instruction : instructor
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : cfi
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency none taken : unable
Consequence	faa : investigated
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

Checked fuel tanks and saw were 3/4 full of fuel on small aircraft. Flew to airport 30 mins away and on return trip to new airport engine sputtered and after checking emergency items, west/O success landed on I-10 near slidell, la, west/O damage to plane. State police authority/authorized flight out, fuel was added and plane flown to new. Unknown to pilot plane tanks were leaking fuel which caused engine failure. FAA authority/authorized me to coordination takeoff with state police because plane would not fit on available trailer and was flown out west/O incident. I had one passenger on board. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information. Reporter states that he was taking dual instruction at the time of the incident and that a flight instrument was actually PIC. He further states that the cause of the engine failure from fuel exhaustion was not discovered until after the aircraft was flown from the highway to the home airport. Apparently the incident is under investigation at this time.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FORCED LNDG DUE TO FUEL STARVATION.

Narrative: CHKED FUEL TANKS AND SAW WERE 3/4 FULL OF FUEL ON SMA. FLEW TO ARPT 30 MINS AWAY AND ON RETURN TRIP TO NEW ARPT ENG SPUTTERED AND AFTER CHKING EMER ITEMS, W/O SUCCESS LANDED ON I-10 NEAR SLIDELL, LA, W/O DAMAGE TO PLANE. STATE POLICE AUTH FLT OUT, FUEL WAS ADDED AND PLANE FLOWN TO NEW. UNKNOWN TO PLT PLANE TANKS WERE LEAKING FUEL WHICH CAUSED ENG FAILURE. FAA AUTH ME TO COORD TKOF WITH STATE POLICE BECAUSE PLANE WOULD NOT FIT ON AVAILABLE TRAILER AND WAS FLOWN OUT W/O INCIDENT. I HAD ONE PAX ON BOARD. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. RPTR STATES THAT HE WAS TAKING DUAL INSTRUCTION AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT AND THAT A FLT INSTR WAS ACTUALLY PIC. HE FURTHER STATES THAT THE CAUSE OF THE ENG FAILURE FROM FUEL EXHAUSTION WAS NOT DISCOVERED UNTIL AFTER THE ACFT WAS FLOWN FROM THE HIGHWAY TO THE HOME ARPT. APPARENTLY THE INCIDENT IS UNDER INVESTIGATION AT THIS TIME.

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.