Narrative:

On jan/mon/96, I took off from lbe at about XA00 hours flying to pou. I arrived in pou at about XC00 hours. When I left lbe, all the fuel tanks were full. During the flight to pou, I had used 1 hour of fuel from the auxiliary, and 1 hour from the mains. From pou, I planned to fly to lyh to get fuel. The flight was planned as 3 hours and 15 mins. Approximately 15 mins into the flight to lyh, I switched the plane to the auxiliary tanks. We had climbed up to 8000 ft, and were in visual meteorological conditions above an overcast layer of clouds. We were flying with the power set at 21.5 inches of manifold pressure and 2300 RPM. The engines were leaned to 50 degrees rich of peak on the egt's. I used the fuel in the auxiliary fuel tanks for 1 hour, at which time, the right engine lost power. I switched back to the mains, and the engine regained full power. At this point, the right auxiliary tank was empty, the left auxiliary still had some fuel in it, and the mains had about 2 hours and 45 mins. Approximately 15 mins after switching from the auxiliary to the mains, the right engine lost power (approximately 1.5 hours into the flight). I fully enriched the mixtures and fully advanced the throttle and propeller controls. I turned on the fuel pumps, and held altitude while slowing the plane to blue line. I adjusted the carburetor heat on the right engine, and the engine momentarily regained power but then immediately lost power. As I adjusted the carburetor heat, this happened 3 or 4 times. I advised ATC of the engine failure. About this time, the left engine lost power. The mixture, throttle, and propeller controls were already fully advanced, and I switched the left engine to the auxiliary fuel tank, at which point the left engine momentarily regained power and then immediately lost power. I adjusted the carburetor heat on the left engine, and the engine momentarily regained power and then immediately lost power. This happened a few times. I attepted to restart with the starter but this did not have any effect. I notified ATC that I had lost both engines, and the controller began vectoring us to lrp. I was descending at about 1000 FPM, and entered the overcast cloud layer at about 7500 ft. I intercepted the localizer, and was headed for lrp. I broke out of the clouds at about 4500 ft, and spotted the beacon for lrp. As I continued to descend, I determined that I was not going to make it to the airport, and began to look for a field. I picked a field and turned towards it, at which point I began to manually extend the landing gear. Before the landing gear was fully extended, I touched down in a field. I shut down all magnetos, fuel, and electrical system. My passenger and I exited the aircraft, walked to a nearby house, and asked the resident to call the police. Soon after, the police arrived and an off-duty controller from harrisburg approach, followed by the fire department, and later on, an inspector from the FAA. Upon inspection of the aircraft, it was found that there was no fuel in the aircraft. I am concerned by this because the plane holds 6 hours of fuel, and only 4 had been flown.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A GA PLT RUNS OUT OF FUEL AND LANDS HIS LIGHT TWIN, OFF ARPT, WITH NO INJURIES TO HIM OR HIS PAX. THE ACFT IS DAMAGED AND THE FAA INSPECTOR AT THE SCENE DID DETERMINE THAT THE TANKS WERE EMPTY.

Narrative: ON JAN/MON/96, I TOOK OFF FROM LBE AT ABOUT XA00 HRS FLYING TO POU. I ARRIVED IN POU AT ABOUT XC00 HRS. WHEN I LEFT LBE, ALL THE FUEL TANKS WERE FULL. DURING THE FLT TO POU, I HAD USED 1 HR OF FUEL FROM THE AUX, AND 1 HR FROM THE MAINS. FROM POU, I PLANNED TO FLY TO LYH TO GET FUEL. THE FLT WAS PLANNED AS 3 HRS AND 15 MINS. APPROX 15 MINS INTO THE FLT TO LYH, I SWITCHED THE PLANE TO THE AUX TANKS. WE HAD CLBED UP TO 8000 FT, AND WERE IN VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS ABOVE AN OVCST LAYER OF CLOUDS. WE WERE FLYING WITH THE PWR SET AT 21.5 INCHES OF MANIFOLD PRESSURE AND 2300 RPM. THE ENGS WERE LEANED TO 50 DEGS RICH OF PEAK ON THE EGT'S. I USED THE FUEL IN THE AUX FUEL TANKS FOR 1 HR, AT WHICH TIME, THE R ENG LOST PWR. I SWITCHED BACK TO THE MAINS, AND THE ENG REGAINED FULL PWR. AT THIS POINT, THE R AUX TANK WAS EMPTY, THE L AUX STILL HAD SOME FUEL IN IT, AND THE MAINS HAD ABOUT 2 HRS AND 45 MINS. APPROX 15 MINS AFTER SWITCHING FROM THE AUX TO THE MAINS, THE R ENG LOST PWR (APPROX 1.5 HRS INTO THE FLT). I FULLY ENRICHED THE MIXTURES AND FULLY ADVANCED THE THROTTLE AND PROP CTLS. I TURNED ON THE FUEL PUMPS, AND HELD ALT WHILE SLOWING THE PLANE TO BLUE LINE. I ADJUSTED THE CARB HEAT ON THE R ENG, AND THE ENG MOMENTARILY REGAINED PWR BUT THEN IMMEDIATELY LOST PWR. AS I ADJUSTED THE CARB HEAT, THIS HAPPENED 3 OR 4 TIMES. I ADVISED ATC OF THE ENG FAILURE. ABOUT THIS TIME, THE L ENG LOST PWR. THE MIXTURE, THROTTLE, AND PROP CTLS WERE ALREADY FULLY ADVANCED, AND I SWITCHED THE L ENG TO THE AUX FUEL TANK, AT WHICH POINT THE L ENG MOMENTARILY REGAINED PWR AND THEN IMMEDIATELY LOST PWR. I ADJUSTED THE CARB HEAT ON THE L ENG, AND THE ENG MOMENTARILY REGAINED PWR AND THEN IMMEDIATELY LOST PWR. THIS HAPPENED A FEW TIMES. I ATTEPTED TO RESTART WITH THE STARTER BUT THIS DID NOT HAVE ANY EFFECT. I NOTIFIED ATC THAT I HAD LOST BOTH ENGS, AND THE CTLR BEGAN VECTORING US TO LRP. I WAS DSNDING AT ABOUT 1000 FPM, AND ENTERED THE OVCST CLOUD LAYER AT ABOUT 7500 FT. I INTERCEPTED THE LOC, AND WAS HEADED FOR LRP. I BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS AT ABOUT 4500 FT, AND SPOTTED THE BEACON FOR LRP. AS I CONTINUED TO DSND, I DETERMINED THAT I WAS NOT GOING TO MAKE IT TO THE ARPT, AND BEGAN TO LOOK FOR A FIELD. I PICKED A FIELD AND TURNED TOWARDS IT, AT WHICH POINT I BEGAN TO MANUALLY EXTEND THE LNDG GEAR. BEFORE THE LNDG GEAR WAS FULLY EXTENDED, I TOUCHED DOWN IN A FIELD. I SHUT DOWN ALL MAGNETOS, FUEL, AND ELECTRICAL SYS. MY PAX AND I EXITED THE ACFT, WALKED TO A NEARBY HOUSE, AND ASKED THE RESIDENT TO CALL THE POLICE. SOON AFTER, THE POLICE ARRIVED AND AN OFF-DUTY CTLR FROM HARRISBURG APCH, FOLLOWED BY THE FIRE DEPT, AND LATER ON, AN INSPECTOR FROM THE FAA. UPON INSPECTION OF THE ACFT, IT WAS FOUND THAT THERE WAS NO FUEL IN THE ACFT. I AM CONCERNED BY THIS BECAUSE THE PLANE HOLDS 6 HRS OF FUEL, AND ONLY 4 HAD BEEN FLOWN.

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.