Pilot of a recently-purchased used airplane reported experiencing fuel quantity indication problems ...

Narrative:

I purchased an [aircraft]. [The owner's pilot] set the radios up for me and loaned me an aviation headset. I programmed one frequency for 122.8; the other at 123.0. We set the garmin 430 for [the destination airport]. My smartphone with 'avare' app was also set for [the destination airport] with current VFR charts installed; notams & nexrad. In addition I had a hand held GPS with all us airports programmed in it. About half an hour into the flight I realized I hadn't heard any 'radio chatter' and checked volumes; squelch; and connections; all to no avail. My radios were not working. After another hour of flight my electronic fuel gauges were indicating less than a quarter tank of fuel on each side. I was flying over the mountains of west virginia and needed to land as soon as possible. Ckb was to my west and is a class D airport; with my fuel critically low and radios not operating; I made a decision to land.the visibility was unlimited and scanned every direction for air traffic; there was none anywhere. I checked the runway and taxiways for traffic; there was none. I entered left base for 21; turned to final and landed. I taxied to the FBO to refuel. I realized my fuel gauges had given me false readings; I still had half my fuel remaining. I was on the ground for 40 or 45 minutes and no one contacted me by phone at the FBO's building. From the FBO building where I refueled a tower is not visible anywhere. A huge hangar blocks the view of the airport tower completely. I only realized this after being confronted by the FAA by phone a week later. Another pilot in [a similar aircraft] helped me with a problem getting my flaps retracted. Then he and I started our engines at the same time and taxied to the north end of the runway and departed to the south. According to the FAA; the tower stated they never saw me on approach or landing. I had my transponder on and set to 1200. They said they were flashing the 'lights' at me when I left but I never saw them. Again; I think this is due to the location of the tower. I have never had an FAA violation in 43 years of flying; 40 years operating as an ag-pilot. I was ferrying this newly purchased plane back to [my home airport] and had a critical situation develop.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Pilot of a recently-purchased used airplane reported experiencing fuel quantity indication problems on the initial flight. Pilot also reported landing and taking-off at an airport without Tower clearance due to an obstructed view of the Tower.

Narrative: I purchased an [aircraft]. [The owner's pilot] set the radios up for me and loaned me an aviation headset. I programmed one frequency for 122.8; the other at 123.0. We set the Garmin 430 for [the destination airport]. My smartphone with 'Avare' app was also set for [the destination airport] with current VFR charts installed; NOTAMs & NEXRAD. In addition I had a hand held GPS with all US airports programmed in it. About half an hour into the flight I realized I hadn't heard any 'radio chatter' and checked volumes; squelch; and connections; all to no avail. My radios were not working. After another hour of flight my electronic fuel gauges were indicating less than a quarter tank of fuel on each side. I was flying over the mountains of West Virginia and needed to land ASAP. CKB was to my west and is a Class D airport; with my fuel critically low and radios not operating; I made a decision to land.The visibility was unlimited and scanned every direction for air traffic; there was none anywhere. I checked the runway and taxiways for traffic; there was none. I entered left base for 21; turned to final and landed. I taxied to the FBO to refuel. I realized my fuel gauges had given me false readings; I still had half my fuel remaining. I was on the ground for 40 or 45 minutes and no one contacted me by phone at the FBO's building. From the FBO building where I refueled a Tower is not visible anywhere. A huge hangar blocks the view of the airport Tower completely. I only realized this after being confronted by the FAA by phone a week later. Another pilot in [a similar aircraft] helped me with a problem getting my flaps retracted. Then he and I started our engines at the same time and taxied to the north end of the runway and departed to the south. According to the FAA; the Tower stated they never saw me on approach or landing. I had my transponder on and set to 1200. They said they were flashing the 'lights' at me when I left but I never saw them. Again; I think this is due to the location of the Tower. I have never had an FAA violation in 43 years of flying; 40 years operating as an Ag-Pilot. I was ferrying this newly purchased plane back to [my home airport] and had a critical situation develop.

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.

Attributes
ACN	1662141
Time
Date	201904
Local Time Of Day	1201-1800
Place
Locale Reference	CKB.Airport
State Reference	WV
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Takeoff Landing
Flight Plan	None
Component
Aircraft Component	Fuel Quantity-Pressure Indication
Person 1
Function	Single Pilot
Qualification	Flight Crew Commercial
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 35 Flight Crew Total 17650 Flight Crew Type 35
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Airspace Violation All Types Deviation - Procedural FAR Deviation - Procedural Landing Without Clearance Ground Incursion Runway Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue

Pilot of a recently-purchased used airplane reported experiencing fuel quantity indication problems on the initial flight. Pilot also reported landing and taking-off at an airport without tower clearance due to an obstructed view of the tower.