Narrative:

I'm working on an instrument rating helicopter (as an add-on to my instrument rating airplane). My helicopter cfii and I preflted the helicopter before flying it. We intended an instrument training flight of about 1.5 hours. The fuel gauge indicated about a little less than 180 pounds of fuel. My helicopter cfii 'dip-sticked' the fuel tanks and determined that we had approximately 28 gallons aboard before flight. We expected to burn about 12.5 gallons of fuel per flight hour. We took off and conducted instrument training on the NDB and ILS approachs to fort collins loveland airport (fnl). I monitored our fuel state during the training flight. We departed fnl for our return to 48V and noted that the fuel gauge indicated about 30-40 pounds of fuel remaining. The fuel gauge indicated a drop in our fuel to almost '0' pounds while we were en route to 48V. As a result, we made a precautionary landing at parkland airport -- a private airfield just a few mi north of our destination, 48V. We persuaded a friendly resident to turn on their fuel pump for us to add 10-12 gallons of fuel. My helicopter cfii refueled the aircraft while he, I and the parkland airport resident all observed the fuel pump. The fuel pump gauge indicator was black letters on white moving panels to show the amount of fuel pumped. There was no decimal on the gauge. There were no obvious 1/10 gallon indicator numerals. The pump hose was about 2 inches in diameter and in good condition. My helicopter cfii pumped 100LL fuel into each of the helicopter's 2 fuel tanks -- into 1 tank until the fuel pump indicator read '6' and into the second tank until the fuel pump indicator read '12.' while preflting the helicopter again, we noticed that its fuel gauge still indicated '0' fuel. Because that gauge has historically intermittently indicated '0' instead of the actual fuel state and because we thought that we had just on-loaded 12 gallons of fuel, we disbelieved the helicopter fuel gauge, took off, and flew back to 48V. I made the approach to land and was hover taxiing back to the fuel tanks when the engine sputtered and quit, requiring an unplanned emergency landing from a 3 ft hover taxi. The landing was smooth, resulting in no damage or injury of any kind. The fuel tanks were found to be completely dry (after a flight of only a few (3-5) mi). Postflt checking of the tanks, fuel boost pumps and lines revealed no leaks or malfunctions. I believe that we misread the fuel pump gauges when refueling the helicopter at parkland airport. I believe that we only on-loaded 1.2 gallons of fuel (not 12 gallons as we had thought). In addition to relying on our memory of filling the tanks, we should have taken the time to have 'dip-sticked' the fuel tanks to be completely certain about the amount of fuel on-loaded. I paid $20.00 cash to the helpful parkland airport resident that let us pump fuel into the helicopter and thanked him for the '12 gallons of fuel,' in retrospect, that fuel (probably only 1.2 gallons) was one of the best buys that I've ever made since it allowed us to fly all the way back to 48V before the engine quit on the ramp of our destination -- rather than in the air requiring a 'real' autorotation to the ground with its attendant risks of aircraft damage and injury to me and my helicopter cfii. The entire flight consisted of 1.8 hours of operation on the helicopter's hobbs meter.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF SMA HELI FORCED TO LAND OUT OF A TAXI HOVER WHEN THE ENG QUIT DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION.

Narrative: I'M WORKING ON AN INST RATING HELI (AS AN ADD-ON TO MY INST RATING AIRPLANE). MY HELI CFII AND I PREFLTED THE HELI BEFORE FLYING IT. WE INTENDED AN INST TRAINING FLT OF ABOUT 1.5 HRS. THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATED ABOUT A LITTLE LESS THAN 180 LBS OF FUEL. MY HELI CFII 'DIP-STICKED' THE FUEL TANKS AND DETERMINED THAT WE HAD APPROX 28 GALLONS ABOARD BEFORE FLT. WE EXPECTED TO BURN ABOUT 12.5 GALLONS OF FUEL PER FLT HR. WE TOOK OFF AND CONDUCTED INST TRAINING ON THE NDB AND ILS APCHS TO FORT COLLINS LOVELAND ARPT (FNL). I MONITORED OUR FUEL STATE DURING THE TRAINING FLT. WE DEPARTED FNL FOR OUR RETURN TO 48V AND NOTED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATED ABOUT 30-40 LBS OF FUEL REMAINING. THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATED A DROP IN OUR FUEL TO ALMOST '0' LBS WHILE WE WERE ENRTE TO 48V. AS A RESULT, WE MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG AT PARKLAND ARPT -- A PVT AIRFIELD JUST A FEW MI N OF OUR DEST, 48V. WE PERSUADED A FRIENDLY RESIDENT TO TURN ON THEIR FUEL PUMP FOR US TO ADD 10-12 GALLONS OF FUEL. MY HELI CFII REFUELED THE ACFT WHILE HE, I AND THE PARKLAND ARPT RESIDENT ALL OBSERVED THE FUEL PUMP. THE FUEL PUMP GAUGE INDICATOR WAS BLACK LETTERS ON WHITE MOVING PANELS TO SHOW THE AMOUNT OF FUEL PUMPED. THERE WAS NO DECIMAL ON THE GAUGE. THERE WERE NO OBVIOUS 1/10 GALLON INDICATOR NUMERALS. THE PUMP HOSE WAS ABOUT 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER AND IN GOOD CONDITION. MY HELI CFII PUMPED 100LL FUEL INTO EACH OF THE HELI'S 2 FUEL TANKS -- INTO 1 TANK UNTIL THE FUEL PUMP INDICATOR READ '6' AND INTO THE SECOND TANK UNTIL THE FUEL PUMP INDICATOR READ '12.' WHILE PREFLTING THE HELI AGAIN, WE NOTICED THAT ITS FUEL GAUGE STILL INDICATED '0' FUEL. BECAUSE THAT GAUGE HAS HISTORICALLY INTERMITTENTLY INDICATED '0' INSTEAD OF THE ACTUAL FUEL STATE AND BECAUSE WE THOUGHT THAT WE HAD JUST ON-LOADED 12 GALLONS OF FUEL, WE DISBELIEVED THE HELI FUEL GAUGE, TOOK OFF, AND FLEW BACK TO 48V. I MADE THE APCH TO LAND AND WAS HOVER TAXIING BACK TO THE FUEL TANKS WHEN THE ENG SPUTTERED AND QUIT, REQUIRING AN UNPLANNED EMER LNDG FROM A 3 FT HOVER TAXI. THE LNDG WAS SMOOTH, RESULTING IN NO DAMAGE OR INJURY OF ANY KIND. THE FUEL TANKS WERE FOUND TO BE COMPLETELY DRY (AFTER A FLT OF ONLY A FEW (3-5) MI). POSTFLT CHKING OF THE TANKS, FUEL BOOST PUMPS AND LINES REVEALED NO LEAKS OR MALFUNCTIONS. I BELIEVE THAT WE MISREAD THE FUEL PUMP GAUGES WHEN REFUELING THE HELI AT PARKLAND ARPT. I BELIEVE THAT WE ONLY ON-LOADED 1.2 GALLONS OF FUEL (NOT 12 GALLONS AS WE HAD THOUGHT). IN ADDITION TO RELYING ON OUR MEMORY OF FILLING THE TANKS, WE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO HAVE 'DIP-STICKED' THE FUEL TANKS TO BE COMPLETELY CERTAIN ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF FUEL ON-LOADED. I PAID $20.00 CASH TO THE HELPFUL PARKLAND ARPT RESIDENT THAT LET US PUMP FUEL INTO THE HELI AND THANKED HIM FOR THE '12 GALLONS OF FUEL,' IN RETROSPECT, THAT FUEL (PROBABLY ONLY 1.2 GALLONS) WAS ONE OF THE BEST BUYS THAT I'VE EVER MADE SINCE IT ALLOWED US TO FLY ALL THE WAY BACK TO 48V BEFORE THE ENG QUIT ON THE RAMP OF OUR DEST -- RATHER THAN IN THE AIR REQUIRING A 'REAL' AUTOROTATION TO THE GND WITH ITS ATTENDANT RISKS OF ACFT DAMAGE AND INJURY TO ME AND MY HELI CFII. THE ENTIRE FLT CONSISTED OF 1.8 HRS OF OP ON THE HELI'S HOBBS METER.

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.