Narrative:

At XA00, aug/sun/95, a friend from baton rouge, la, and myself, from amarillo, tx, began a flight in skylane 182. The preflight planning that I had completed the night before showed that we could make the trip without a refuel stop. I estimated the trip to last 4 hours and the performance specifications on the skylane 182 showed that it had a range of 5.7 hours when properly leaned at 8000 ft. I opened our flight plan and proceeded to omaha, northeast, as PIC. We flew at 9500 ft and the airplane operated without flaw. At approximately XA30, I had the fuel tanks topped off and I filed a flight plan for the return trip. I called my father at XA40 and told him we were on our way back to amarillo. The fuel truck had put 57.2 gals into the 65 gal tank. This had given us an average fuel consumption of 13.6 gals. I visually checked both tanks and they were completely full. After another preflight, we started the engine around XA45 and left millard airport at XA55. I opened the flight plan and began my ascent to 10500 ft. We had been flying for about 15 mins at altitude when I noticed a slight surging in the engine. The egt meter was gradually swinging to the right, so I call ZMP and asked if I could descend to 8500 ft. They gave me permission. I enriched the mixture and descended to 8500 ft. The surging stopped and the egt came back to normal. I began leaning the mixture again and slowed the rpms with propeller-pitch control to about 2400. The airplane flew fine for another 20 mins, so I called and asked for permission to go back to 10500 ft. The airplane flew well and we proceeded to amarillo at that altitude. When we reached the borger VOR, I asked amarillo approach if we could descend to 8500 ft. We descended down to that altitude after attaining permission. When we were 15 mi north of amarillo, I asked for permission to descend down to 6500 ft. We descended down to that altitude after attaining permission. It was at this time, XE35, that the engine quit. I enriched the mixture, pushed the propeller to high RPM, and tried to restart. After 3 unsuccessful starts, I informed amarillo approach that I had lost power and asked to be vectored in for direct approach. I noticed that I was losing altitude too quickly and informed amarillo approach that I would be making a pasture landing. I found the flattest area in the vicinity and landed the skylane on ranch land belonging to a local cattleman. The hobbs meter showed that the plane had only flown for 3.8 hours. My passenger and I were unharmed and the plane received no damage. We locked the plane and caught a ride back to town. The next morning, aug/thu/95, I accompanied a group to the landing site. The inspectors found little fuel in the sump and the tanks were completely dry. After the mechanic determined the plane to be airworthy, 15 gals of fuel was added and my brother flew the plane back to buffalo airport. The aircraft's mechanic has been working on determining the problem of the high fuel consumption. He noticed that the fuel vent had been out of place for some time and could have caused a suction on the left tank. He believes that the vent was siphoning off small amounts of fuel at a time. He is still working on the problem. The maintenance officer of the aeronautical club (owners of the aircraft), has made 2 controled flts with the skylane 182 since the mechanic fixed the fuel vent placement. The flight revealed no leaking of the fuel vent and a much improved fuel consumption rating. His results are included. These are the details of the skylane 182's aug/wed/95 flight. I have 70.9 total hours of flight time and have 25.4 hours in skylane.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FUEL EXHAUSTION -- OFF ARPT LNDG -- PLT CAREFULLY PLANS HIS FLT, BUT A MALFUNCTIONING FUEL VENT SIPHONS TOO MUCH FUEL AND HE LANDS ON A RANCH.

Narrative: AT XA00, AUG/SUN/95, A FRIEND FROM BATON ROUGE, LA, AND MYSELF, FROM AMARILLO, TX, BEGAN A FLT IN SKYLANE 182. THE PREFLT PLANNING THAT I HAD COMPLETED THE NIGHT BEFORE SHOWED THAT WE COULD MAKE THE TRIP WITHOUT A REFUEL STOP. I ESTIMATED THE TRIP TO LAST 4 HRS AND THE PERFORMANCE SPECS ON THE SKYLANE 182 SHOWED THAT IT HAD A RANGE OF 5.7 HRS WHEN PROPERLY LEANED AT 8000 FT. I OPENED OUR FLT PLAN AND PROCEEDED TO OMAHA, NE, AS PIC. WE FLEW AT 9500 FT AND THE AIRPLANE OPERATED WITHOUT FLAW. AT APPROX XA30, I HAD THE FUEL TANKS TOPPED OFF AND I FILED A FLT PLAN FOR THE RETURN TRIP. I CALLED MY FATHER AT XA40 AND TOLD HIM WE WERE ON OUR WAY BACK TO AMARILLO. THE FUEL TRUCK HAD PUT 57.2 GALS INTO THE 65 GAL TANK. THIS HAD GIVEN US AN AVERAGE FUEL CONSUMPTION OF 13.6 GALS. I VISUALLY CHKED BOTH TANKS AND THEY WERE COMPLETELY FULL. AFTER ANOTHER PREFLT, WE STARTED THE ENG AROUND XA45 AND LEFT MILLARD ARPT AT XA55. I OPENED THE FLT PLAN AND BEGAN MY ASCENT TO 10500 FT. WE HAD BEEN FLYING FOR ABOUT 15 MINS AT ALT WHEN I NOTICED A SLIGHT SURGING IN THE ENG. THE EGT METER WAS GRADUALLY SWINGING TO THE R, SO I CALL ZMP AND ASKED IF I COULD DSND TO 8500 FT. THEY GAVE ME PERMISSION. I ENRICHED THE MIXTURE AND DSNDED TO 8500 FT. THE SURGING STOPPED AND THE EGT CAME BACK TO NORMAL. I BEGAN LEANING THE MIXTURE AGAIN AND SLOWED THE RPMS WITH PROP-PITCH CTL TO ABOUT 2400. THE AIRPLANE FLEW FINE FOR ANOTHER 20 MINS, SO I CALLED AND ASKED FOR PERMISSION TO GO BACK TO 10500 FT. THE AIRPLANE FLEW WELL AND WE PROCEEDED TO AMARILLO AT THAT ALT. WHEN WE REACHED THE BORGER VOR, I ASKED AMARILLO APCH IF WE COULD DSND TO 8500 FT. WE DSNDED DOWN TO THAT ALT AFTER ATTAINING PERMISSION. WHEN WE WERE 15 MI N OF AMARILLO, I ASKED FOR PERMISSION TO DSND DOWN TO 6500 FT. WE DSNDED DOWN TO THAT ALT AFTER ATTAINING PERMISSION. IT WAS AT THIS TIME, XE35, THAT THE ENG QUIT. I ENRICHED THE MIXTURE, PUSHED THE PROP TO HIGH RPM, AND TRIED TO RESTART. AFTER 3 UNSUCCESSFUL STARTS, I INFORMED AMARILLO APCH THAT I HAD LOST PWR AND ASKED TO BE VECTORED IN FOR DIRECT APCH. I NOTICED THAT I WAS LOSING ALT TOO QUICKLY AND INFORMED AMARILLO APCH THAT I WOULD BE MAKING A PASTURE LNDG. I FOUND THE FLATTEST AREA IN THE VICINITY AND LANDED THE SKYLANE ON RANCH LAND BELONGING TO A LCL CATTLEMAN. THE HOBBS METER SHOWED THAT THE PLANE HAD ONLY FLOWN FOR 3.8 HRS. MY PAX AND I WERE UNHARMED AND THE PLANE RECEIVED NO DAMAGE. WE LOCKED THE PLANE AND CAUGHT A RIDE BACK TO TOWN. THE NEXT MORNING, AUG/THU/95, I ACCOMPANIED A GROUP TO THE LNDG SITE. THE INSPECTORS FOUND LITTLE FUEL IN THE SUMP AND THE TANKS WERE COMPLETELY DRY. AFTER THE MECH DETERMINED THE PLANE TO BE AIRWORTHY, 15 GALS OF FUEL WAS ADDED AND MY BROTHER FLEW THE PLANE BACK TO BUFFALO ARPT. THE ACFT'S MECH HAS BEEN WORKING ON DETERMINING THE PROB OF THE HIGH FUEL CONSUMPTION. HE NOTICED THAT THE FUEL VENT HAD BEEN OUT OF PLACE FOR SOME TIME AND COULD HAVE CAUSED A SUCTION ON THE L TANK. HE BELIEVES THAT THE VENT WAS SIPHONING OFF SMALL AMOUNTS OF FUEL AT A TIME. HE IS STILL WORKING ON THE PROB. THE MAINT OFFICER OF THE AERO CLUB (OWNERS OF THE ACFT), HAS MADE 2 CTLED FLTS WITH THE SKYLANE 182 SINCE THE MECH FIXED THE FUEL VENT PLACEMENT. THE FLT REVEALED NO LEAKING OF THE FUEL VENT AND A MUCH IMPROVED FUEL CONSUMPTION RATING. HIS RESULTS ARE INCLUDED. THESE ARE THE DETAILS OF THE SKYLANE 182'S AUG/WED/95 FLT. I HAVE 70.9 TOTAL HRS OF FLT TIME AND HAVE 25.4 HRS IN SKYLANE.

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.