20120711012429I

AT APPROXIMATELY 19:05 EDT ON JULY 11,AIRCRAFT N3555F, A CESSNA 182J, S/N 18257555, CONTACTED PROVIDENCE, RI ATC AND REPORTED THAT HE RAN OUT OF GAS AND WAS GOING TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING. AIRCRAFT LANDED IN A CORN FIELD ADJACENT TO CLARKS FALLS RD, N. STONINGTON, CT. THE TWO OCCUPANTS WERE TRANSPORTED TO WESTERLY RI HOSPITAL FOR MINOR INJURIES.THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. AIRCRAFT WAS ENROUTE FROM TETERBORO AIRPORT (TEB) TO NEW BEDFORD AIRPORT (EWB). WEATHER WAS VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, AND WAS NOT A FACTOR.THE PILOT STATED THE FOLLOWING:AT 6:09PM ON JULY 11TH, I DEPARTED TETERBORO WITH ONE PASSENGER FOR A BUSINESS TRIP TO NEW BEDFORD, MASS. (EWB). I HAD CHECKED WEATHER SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE DAY VIA THE INTERNET, AND SKIES WERE BETWEEN COMPLETELY CLEAR AND FEW CLOUDS ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLIGHT. VISIBILITY WAS 10NM OR GREATER. NEW BEDFORD IS 148.5NM FROM TETERBORO, AND I FLEW VFR VIA DIRECT POINT-TO-POINT GPS ROUTE. THE ENGINE FUEL FLOW MONITOR WAS READING 11.0 GALLONS PER HOUR. AT AROUND 7PM, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO HICCUP AND BECOME ROUGH, AS IF IT WERE CHOKING. I CHECKED THE FUEL SELECTOR, WHICH WAS SET TO BOTH TANKS. I ENRICHED THE MIXTURE, AND I PUSHED THE THROTTLE IN SO IT WAS AT 100% OPEN. THE ENGINE SEEMED TO BE RUNNING, BUT OUR POWER HAD VANISHED TO NO MORE THAN IDLE. I SET BEST GLIDE SPEED WITH THE TRIM WHEEL, BEGAN LOOKING AT THE EMERGENCY LANDING OPTIONS, AND CONTACTED PROVIDENCE APPROACH. I INFORMED THEM THAT WE SEEMED TO BE VIRTUALLY OUT OF FUEL, AND THAT WE WOULD NEED TO LAND IMMEDIATELY. PVD APPROACH IMMEDIATELY RESPONDED WITH A TRANSPONDER CODE. I PICKED A TARGET POINT DEEP INTO THE FIELD, AND LANDED THE PLANE IN THE CORNFIELD IN STONINGTON, CONNECTICUT.IN A STATEMENT TO CONNECTICUT STATE POLICE OFFICER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, HE STATED THAT "I HAD BETWEEN 30-35 G FUEL ON BOARD WHEN I STARTED. I ESTIMATE MY BURN RATE AT 11 GALLONS PER HOUR. THERE WAS AMPLE FUEL ON BOARD."ON 2/20/2012, THE PILOT^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TOPPED OFF HIS AIRPLANE AND THEN FLEW VIA TEB TO EWB, A TOTAL OF 2.6 HOURS. AT EWB, HE HAD LINE SERVICE TOP OFF THE AIRCRAFT, ADDING 36.9 G OF FUEL. THAT COMPUTES TO AN AVERAGE OF 14.2 GPH.AFTER TOPPING OFF THE AIRCRAFT IN EWB, THE PILOT^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ FLEW APPROXIMATELY 3.5 HOURS AND SHOULD HAVE USED 49.7 G.ON SCENE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED IN A CORN FIELD APPROXIMATELY 50 YARDS OFF CLARKS FALLS RD, NORTH STONINGTON, CT. THE LANDING PATH THROUGH THE CORN WAS APPROXIMATELY 42 YARDS LONG ON A 355 DEGREE HEADING. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON ITS NOSE ON A 138 DEGREE HEADING. ALL MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE AIRPLANE WERE ACCOUNTED FOR AT THE SCENE.INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT FOUND THE FOLLOWING: THE NOSE WHEEL WAS SEPARATED FROM JUST BELOW THE STRUT. THE LOWER ENGINE COWL WAS DENTED JUST AFT OF THE CARBURETOR AIR BOX. THE LEFT WING, TIP FAIRING AND APPROXIMATELY 16 INCHES OF THE LEADING EDGE SKIN WERE DAMAGED. THE RIGHT WING TIP WAS CRACKED IN SEVERAL PLACES. THE THROTTLE WAS FULL OPEN AND THE MIXTURE WAS FULL RICH. THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS SET TO BOTH TANKS. THE BATTERY MASTER WAS TURNED ON AND BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT FUEL GAUGES INDICATED ZERO QUANTITY. THE AIRCRAFT WAS BROUGHT TO A LEVEL ATTITUDE AND THE UPPER AND LOWER ENGINE COWLS WERE REMOVED. ALL FUEL HOSES WERE FOUND TO BE INTACT AND UNDAMAGED. ALL WIRING WAS FOUND TO BE INTACT AND CONNECTED. THE ENGINE FUEL SUMP BOWL WAS REMOVED AND APPROXIMATELY 4 OUNCES OF FUEL WAS FOUND IN IT. THERE WERE NO OBSTRUCTIONS FOUND IN THE FUEL SCREEN. THE SUMP LEVER WAS PULLED AND NO FUEL WAS NOTED COMING OUT. BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT WING FUEL CAP WERE REMOVED AND NO FUEL WAS NOTED IN EITHER TANK. INSPECTION OF THE FUEL LINES IN BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT WING ROOT SHOWED ALL FUEL LINES HOSES AND THAT FUEL QUANTITY TRANSMITTERS WERE ALL PROPERLY CONNECTED. PERSONNEL WHO REMOVED WINGS DURING THE SALVAGE OPERATION STATED THE EACH WING TANK CONTAINED LESS THAT A CUP OF FUEL EACH.