Narrative:

Departed concord for sighting trip with 1 passenger. Flew north to napa area for 1.6 hours then landed at nut tree airport. On preparing to leave made passenger wait while making 3 full stop landing for recency rule for night flight with passenger. Flew to livermore, ca, area to stockton area then on to sac exe to put on fuel. Gauges showing about 1/4 tank on each side. 3.3 hours total time at this point. Received downwind approach clearance and was moving to this position when engine began to run rough. Engine had run rough throughout flight and been smoothed out by us of mixture. Thought carburetor ice a problem at this time. Used carburetor ice engine still rough and started to cut out, informed tower of problem and prepared to make emergency landing on I-5. Engine stopped at this point. Reached over thumped fuel gauges which both dropped to empty. Found out after making landing that the primer pump was out of about 1/4 to 1/2 inch which could account for some extra fuel use as well as the fuel tanks had not been topped off as they should have been. After some thought I feel that this incident would not have taken place if I had been somewhat more attentive to total time and fuel. Also the lighting of the panel in aircraft could be improved by lighting of items such as the primer pump so that if it is brushed or turned by mistake it would be mre visable at night. I also now trust the fuel gauges somewhat less because they are apt to stick giving one a false reading and therefore a false sense of what is on hand.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA FUEL EXHAUSTION OFF ARPT LNDG.

Narrative: DEPARTED CONCORD FOR SIGHTING TRIP WITH 1 PAX. FLEW N TO NAPA AREA FOR 1.6 HRS THEN LANDED AT NUT TREE ARPT. ON PREPARING TO LEAVE MADE PAX WAIT WHILE MAKING 3 FULL STOP LNDG FOR RECENCY RULE FOR NIGHT FLT WITH PAX. FLEW TO LIVERMORE, CA, AREA TO STOCKTON AREA THEN ON TO SAC EXE TO PUT ON FUEL. GAUGES SHOWING ABOUT 1/4 TANK ON EACH SIDE. 3.3 HRS TOTAL TIME AT THIS POINT. RECEIVED DOWNWIND APCH CLRNC AND WAS MOVING TO THIS POS WHEN ENG BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH. ENG HAD RUN ROUGH THROUGHOUT FLT AND BEEN SMOOTHED OUT BY US OF MIXTURE. THOUGHT CARB ICE A PROB AT THIS TIME. USED CARB ICE ENG STILL ROUGH AND STARTED TO CUT OUT, INFORMED TWR OF PROB AND PREPARED TO MAKE EMER LNDG ON I-5. ENG STOPPED AT THIS POINT. REACHED OVER THUMPED FUEL GAUGES WHICH BOTH DROPPED TO EMPTY. FOUND OUT AFTER MAKING LNDG THAT THE PRIMER PUMP WAS OUT OF ABOUT 1/4 TO 1/2 INCH WHICH COULD ACCOUNT FOR SOME EXTRA FUEL USE AS WELL AS THE FUEL TANKS HAD NOT BEEN TOPPED OFF AS THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN. AFTER SOME THOUGHT I FEEL THAT THIS INCIDENT WOULD NOT HAVE TAKEN PLACE IF I HAD BEEN SOMEWHAT MORE ATTENTIVE TO TOTAL TIME AND FUEL. ALSO THE LIGHTING OF THE PANEL IN ACFT COULD BE IMPROVED BY LIGHTING OF ITEMS SUCH AS THE PRIMER PUMP SO THAT IF IT IS BRUSHED OR TURNED BY MISTAKE IT WOULD BE MRE VISABLE AT NIGHT. I ALSO NOW TRUST THE FUEL GAUGES SOMEWHAT LESS BECAUSE THEY ARE APT TO STICK GIVING ONE A FALSE READING AND THEREFORE A FALSE SENSE OF WHAT IS ON HAND.

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.