LOW FUEL STATUS DECLARED DURING FLT ASSIST AFTER VFR IN IMC.

Narrative

HAVING BEEN BRIEFED BY LANSING FSS AS TO THE WX ENRTE; I EXPECTED TO ENCOUNTER RAIN AND LOW CEILINGS; BUT STILL BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN A VFR FLT TO AT LEAST A FIRST FUEL STOP; AT WHICH TIME I PLANNED TO CHK WITH FSS AGAIN AND DECIDE UPON MY NEXT LEG. HAVING 4 HRS OF FUEL ON BOARD; MY PLAN WAS TO STOP AFTER 3 HRS FOR THIS WX UPDATE AND FUEL STOP. AT NEARLY 2 HRS AND 45 MINS; MY INFLT VISIBILITY BEGAN TO DECREASE RAPIDLY. I ATTEMPTED TO EXECUTE A 180 DEG TURN IN ORDER TO EXIT THE WORSENING VISIBILITY BUT THIS PROVED FRUITLESS AND AFTER THE 180 DEG TURN I FOUND MYSELF NEEDING TO DSND BELOW ACCEPTABLE ALTS; AND THE VISIBILITY STILL WORSENING. AT THIS POINT I CALLED THE CLOSEST ARPT WITH A HARD SURFACE RWY WHICH WAS CYNTHIA; KY. THE GENTLEMAN MONITORING UNICOM STATED THAT THE WX HAD RECENTLY WORSENED THERE; AND IN HIS ESTIMATION; IT WAS 'A COUPLE HUNDRED FT ABOVE THE TREES AND A MI OR SO VISIBILITY.' THIS SOUNDED DANGEROUS TO ME; SO I CALLED LEXINGTON APCH; STATED MY APPROX POS AND STATED THAT MY INTENTION WAS TO LAND AT LEXINGTON (BLUE GRASS ARPT). APCH GAVE ME A TRANSPONDER CODE; CONFIRMED RADAR IDENT AND AN ALT OF 4000 FT. I QUICKLY CLBED TO 4000; AND FOR A MOMENT FELT RELIEVED THAT SOMEONE WAS THERE TO HELP SAVE ME FROM THIS TERRIBLE PREDICAMENT THAT I HAD PUT MYSELF INTO. THEN AS I WAS APCHING LEXINGTON; THEY GAVE ME THE CURRENT WX OF 200 FT AND 1 MI VISIBILITY WITH GUSTING WINDS. CONCURRENTLY I BEGAN TO ENCOUNTER MODERATE TO SEVERE TURB AND MY CHARTS WERE SCATTERING ABOUT THE COCKPIT. THE INTENSITY OF THE PRECIP HAD ALSO INCREASED AND I WAS BECOMING SOAKED FROM A NEW LEAK FROM THE WINDSHIELD/DOOR OVERHEAD. I WAS CLRED FOR THE ILS APCH; AND AS I ACCEPTED THE APCH I REALIZED; 'I DON'T HAVE AN ILS CAPABLE SYS HERE!' ALL I HAD WAS A VOR RECEIVER WITH DIGITAL READOUT; AND A VERY FUNCTIONAL LORAN; WHICH INDICATED THAT I WAS INDEED INBOUND TO LEXINGTON ON THE PROPER COURSE FOR THE FINAL APCH. I NOTIFIED APCH THAT I WAS IN MODERATE TO SEVERE TURB AND THAT I HAD A POSSIBLE LOW FUEL CONDITION. I HAD NOTICED THAT SOMETIME AFTER ENCOUNTERING THE TURB; MY FUEL GAUGE HAD PEGGED ON BELOW EMPTY. THIS WAS AFTER ONLY ABOUT 3 HRS FLT DURATION; BUT WAS ADDITIONALLY UN-NERVING ON TOP OF WHAT WAS ALREADY TAKING PLACE. APCH IMMEDIATELY CLRED ME FOR A NON-GYRO RADAR APCH; AND ASKED ME IF I KNEW HOW MUCH FUEL I HAD AND IF THE ACFT AND MYSELF WERE INST CAPABLE. I RESPONDED THAT I DID NOT KNOW HOW MUCH FUEL I HAD ABOARD BUT I CALCULATED NEARLY AN HRS WORTH. THEN I STATED THAT MY FUEL GAUGE HAD PEGGED ON EMPTY; SO I THOUGHT I WOULD TELL THEM THAT I MAY HAVE LOW STATE. APCH THEN ASKED ME IF THE ACFT (AN AMPHIBIAN) AND I WERE BOTH INST CAPABLE. I RESPONDED; 'YES.' AFTER A VERY BOUNCY; HECTIC; AND CONSEQUENTLY SOMEWHAT SLOPPY RADAR APCH; I BROKE OUT ABOUT A MI FROM THE THRESHOLD OF THE RWY; EXECUTED A NORMAL LNDG; AND TAXIED IN TO THE CLOSEST FBO; WHERE I WAS GREETED BY AN ARPT POLICE OFFICER; WHO ASKED ME TO GET IN HIS CAR AND ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS. THE OFFICER WAS CONCERNED THAT I HAD DECLARED SOME TYPE OF EMER AND THIS WAS A REQUIRED RPT THAT HE NEEDED TO FILL OUT; SO I EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT MY FUEL GAUGE SUDDENLY INDICATED EMPTY; ALTHOUGH I SHOULD HAVE HAD NEARLY AN HOURS WORTH OF FUEL REMAINING; AND I THEREFORE RPTED THE SITUATION; AT WHICH TIME I WAS GIVEN A RADAR APCH; AND THAT WAS ALL. I DID NOT TELL THE OFFICER ANYTHING ABOUT WX INSTS ETC... I HAD ALSO RECEIVED A MESSAGE ON GND CTL; TO CALL THE TWR CHIEF; SO I FIGURED I WOULD HAVE AMPLE TIME EXPLAINING THESE ITEMS TO HIM. AFTER COMPLETING THE RPT WITH THE ARPT POLICE OFFICER; I PROCEEDED COLD; WET AND SHIVERING; IN TO THE FBO. I PROCEEDED IMMEDIATELY TO THE TELEPHONE AND CALLED THE TWR CHIEF. AFTER TELLING HIM THE STORY IN BRIEF; HE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS GOING TO HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL FROM FLT STANDARDS CALL ME AND TO REMAIN AT THE FBO UNTIL I HAD SPOKEN WITH HIM. I AGREED. FLT STANDARDS CALLED AND I EXPLAINED THE FUEL THING TO HIM. AT FIRST I WAS EXTREMELY NERVOUS AS A RESULT OF THE LAST 30 MINS AND NOWBEING INTERROGATED BY THE FAA FSDO. MR X ASKED ME A LOT OF QUESTIONS; THE ANSWERS TO WHICH WERE VERY POTENTIALLY INCRIMINATING TOWARDS MY VIOLATION OF THE FARS. I TRIED TO ANSWER ALL OF HIS QUESTIONS; BUT I WAS SOMEWHAT VAGUE SO AS NOT TO GET MYSELF INTO EVEN MORE TROUBLE THAT I MIGHT ALREADY BE IN. EVENTUALLY; MR X ADMONISHED ME FOR DECLARING A POSSIBLE FUEL STATE AFTER ONLY 3 HRS OF FLT ON 4 HRS OF FUEL; AND REMINDED ME THAT AN EXPERIENCED PLT RELIES ON FLT TIME AND NOT UPON FUEL GAUGES TO DETERMINE FUEL CONSUMED/REMAINING. I AGREED WITH HIM; AND HE TOLD ME WHETHER OR NOT I WOULD NEED TO RECEIVE FURTHER CONSULTATION.