Narrative:

My flight departed from Y70. I was planning to go below lake michigan and around ord on my way to osh. My fuel stop was to be sandwich, il. When I saw what I thought was sandwich, I flipped my radio to communication to listen for any traffic at sandwich. My radio will only do 1 function at a time, so at that point I could not watch the VOR. I could not find the airport where I thought it should be, so flew around thinking I was looking at it but not seeing it. When I hit 3 hours of fuel used up and started getting confused, I thought it time to radio for a little help. On 122.8 I asked for some clues to sandwich. A person replied by asking if I'd just passed another aircraft. I said yes, so he said to head east for about 2 mi and should enter the downwind for 36. I tried that, but things weren't looking right. I stayed at 3000' MSL. I turned northeast after what I thought was 2 mi, but didn't see any airport and had no idea where I was. Lost contact with that aircraft and tried again on 122.8. I was getting low on fuel and wanted help finding sandwich. I didn't know whether to go to VOR or not. I received a couple of response, but they were broken and getting stepped on. I stayed with communication rather than VOR and tried describing the area I was seeing. An aircraft and sandwich unicom were talking with me. There were a lot of water towers, but none I could read until I saw the big aurora one. I couldn't hear sandwich unicom anymore, so I radioed that I was getting very low on fuel, was flying over a water tower that said aurora, and I needed help getting to sandwich. 1 aircraft said something and another aircraft said to switch over to ord approach. The other aircraft explained my situation and relayed information because my radio didn't always reach to ord. Ord asked if I wanted to go to aurora airport, about 5 mi away. I made the mistake of thinking I was still near sandwich. I made the mistake of thinking I was still keeping myself out of the mode C area. I didn't know where aurora was and never bothered to look in ord's rings, so I asked ord to direct me to sandwich. He did. He was very patient wit me. The aircraft that was talking with me and approach caught up with me and had me follow him to sandwich. He told me what to look for and where exactly the runway was. I was at about 1400, maybe 1600', and had the strip in sight when I ran out of fuel. I thought I could make it. I advised my lead that I'd lost power. At 700' I saw a car go by on the road between me and the runway. I was no longer sure that I could make the runway; I would be too low over the road to clear a car if another went by. I told my lead I was going to land in the field before the road, and he said ok and told me what to watch out for. I nosed down to lose altitude and started a slip. A few seconds after I nosed down the engine kicked in life again, so I went for the runway again. The engine quit again as I was touching down on 36.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA GOT LOST BETWEEN Y70 AND C48.

Narrative: MY FLT DEPARTED FROM Y70. I WAS PLANNING TO GO BELOW LAKE MICHIGAN AND AROUND ORD ON MY WAY TO OSH. MY FUEL STOP WAS TO BE SANDWICH, IL. WHEN I SAW WHAT I THOUGHT WAS SANDWICH, I FLIPPED MY RADIO TO COM TO LISTEN FOR ANY TFC AT SANDWICH. MY RADIO WILL ONLY DO 1 FUNCTION AT A TIME, SO AT THAT POINT I COULD NOT WATCH THE VOR. I COULD NOT FIND THE ARPT WHERE I THOUGHT IT SHOULD BE, SO FLEW AROUND THINKING I WAS LOOKING AT IT BUT NOT SEEING IT. WHEN I HIT 3 HRS OF FUEL USED UP AND STARTED GETTING CONFUSED, I THOUGHT IT TIME TO RADIO FOR A LITTLE HELP. ON 122.8 I ASKED FOR SOME CLUES TO SANDWICH. A PERSON REPLIED BY ASKING IF I'D JUST PASSED ANOTHER ACFT. I SAID YES, SO HE SAID TO HEAD E FOR ABOUT 2 MI AND SHOULD ENTER THE DOWNWIND FOR 36. I TRIED THAT, BUT THINGS WEREN'T LOOKING RIGHT. I STAYED AT 3000' MSL. I TURNED NE AFTER WHAT I THOUGHT WAS 2 MI, BUT DIDN'T SEE ANY ARPT AND HAD NO IDEA WHERE I WAS. LOST CONTACT WITH THAT ACFT AND TRIED AGAIN ON 122.8. I WAS GETTING LOW ON FUEL AND WANTED HELP FINDING SANDWICH. I DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER TO GO TO VOR OR NOT. I RECEIVED A COUPLE OF RESPONSE, BUT THEY WERE BROKEN AND GETTING STEPPED ON. I STAYED WITH COM RATHER THAN VOR AND TRIED DESCRIBING THE AREA I WAS SEEING. AN ACFT AND SANDWICH UNICOM WERE TALKING WITH ME. THERE WERE A LOT OF WATER TWRS, BUT NONE I COULD READ UNTIL I SAW THE BIG AURORA ONE. I COULDN'T HEAR SANDWICH UNICOM ANYMORE, SO I RADIOED THAT I WAS GETTING VERY LOW ON FUEL, WAS FLYING OVER A WATER TWR THAT SAID AURORA, AND I NEEDED HELP GETTING TO SANDWICH. 1 ACFT SAID SOMETHING AND ANOTHER ACFT SAID TO SWITCH OVER TO ORD APCH. THE OTHER ACFT EXPLAINED MY SITUATION AND RELAYED INFO BECAUSE MY RADIO DIDN'T ALWAYS REACH TO ORD. ORD ASKED IF I WANTED TO GO TO AURORA ARPT, ABOUT 5 MI AWAY. I MADE THE MISTAKE OF THINKING I WAS STILL NEAR SANDWICH. I MADE THE MISTAKE OF THINKING I WAS STILL KEEPING MYSELF OUT OF THE MODE C AREA. I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE AURORA WAS AND NEVER BOTHERED TO LOOK IN ORD'S RINGS, SO I ASKED ORD TO DIRECT ME TO SANDWICH. HE DID. HE WAS VERY PATIENT WIT ME. THE ACFT THAT WAS TALKING WITH ME AND APCH CAUGHT UP WITH ME AND HAD ME FOLLOW HIM TO SANDWICH. HE TOLD ME WHAT TO LOOK FOR AND WHERE EXACTLY THE RWY WAS. I WAS AT ABOUT 1400, MAYBE 1600', AND HAD THE STRIP IN SIGHT WHEN I RAN OUT OF FUEL. I THOUGHT I COULD MAKE IT. I ADVISED MY LEAD THAT I'D LOST PWR. AT 700' I SAW A CAR GO BY ON THE ROAD BTWN ME AND THE RWY. I WAS NO LONGER SURE THAT I COULD MAKE THE RWY; I WOULD BE TOO LOW OVER THE ROAD TO CLR A CAR IF ANOTHER WENT BY. I TOLD MY LEAD I WAS GOING TO LAND IN THE FIELD BEFORE THE ROAD, AND HE SAID OK AND TOLD ME WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR. I NOSED DOWN TO LOSE ALT AND STARTED A SLIP. A FEW SECS AFTER I NOSED DOWN THE ENG KICKED IN LIFE AGAIN, SO I WENT FOR THE RWY AGAIN. THE ENG QUIT AGAIN AS I WAS TOUCHING DOWN ON 36.

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.