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PA-25 pilot reported fuel exhaustion and an off airport landing in an open field during glider tow operations.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1476948 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201708 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | PA-25 Pawnee |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Climb |
| Route In Use | None |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Private |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 52 Flight Crew Total 2575 Flight Crew Type 2250 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Deviation - Procedural FAR Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue |
Narrative:
During glider towing operations and with a glider on tow; the engine started running rough and then stopped completely. I signaled the glider to release and after release; made a 180 degree turn back to the airport. However there was not enough altitude to make it back and I landed in an open field with no damage and no injuries. The glider returned to the field without damage and without injuries. I added 10 gallons of fuel and flew the aircraft the remaining 1/8 mile to the field and landed without damage or injuries.the problem was caused by me misjudging the fuel sight gauge and not counting the number of tows that had been accomplished on this tank. I departed without enough fuel to accomplish the complete tow and return with at least a 20 minute reserve.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: PA-25 pilot reported fuel exhaustion and an off airport landing in an open field during glider tow operations.
Narrative: During Glider towing operations and with a glider on tow; the engine started running rough and then stopped completely. I signaled the glider to release and after release; made a 180 degree turn back to the airport. However there was not enough altitude to make it back and I landed in an open field with no damage and no injuries. The Glider returned to the field without damage and without injuries. I added 10 gallons of fuel and flew the aircraft the remaining 1/8 mile to the field and landed without damage or injuries.The problem was caused by me misjudging the fuel sight gauge and not counting the number of tows that had been accomplished on this tank. I departed without enough fuel to accomplish the complete tow and return with at least a 20 minute reserve.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.