FUEL EXHAUSTION MANDATES AN OFF ARPT EMER FORCED LNDG.

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I THEN ORDERED FUEL 'TOPPED OFF' AND PROCEEDED TO WARM UP; CALM DOWN; AND CALLED FSS FOR WX ALONG MY INTENDED RTE TOWARDS ATHENS; GA. THE WX BRIEFING INDICATED VASTLY IMPROVING CONDITIONS ALONG MY INTENDED RTE OF FLT. WITH THESE WINDS IN MIND; MY TARGET DEST WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN MACON; GA; WITH ITS SUBSTANTIALLY BETTER WX BECAME OUT OF THE QUESTION SINCE I CALCULATED IT TO BE 325 KILOMETERS AWAY. SO I FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN TO ATHENS; GA; AT ONLY 258 KILOMETERS. SOMEHOW; I CALCULATED THAT THIS WOULD BE EASILY ATTAINABLE; AND A GOOD PLACE TO SPEND THE NIGHT -- PAST THE BRUNT OF WX THAT WAS PREDICTED TO BE AROUND FOR ANOTHER DAY OR MORE. I PAYED THE BILL FOR THE 33 GALLONS OF FUEL THAT MY ACFT HAD CONSUMED AND PREFLTED THE ACFT FOR DEP. I DEPARTED LEXINGTON ENRTE TOWARDS ATHENS; GA. WHILE CLBING TO A FILED ALT OF 7000 FT I ENCOUNTERED MODERATE TO SEVERE TURB; AND RPTED IT TO DEP. OTHER ACFT DID THE SAME. APPROX 45 MINS INTO THE FLT; BOTH MY LORAN AND VOR RECEIVER BECAME INTERMITTENT. I RPTED THIS TO CTR AND ASKED THEM FOR OCCASIONAL UPDATES ON POS AND COURSE. CTR GLADLY AGREED AND EVENTUALLY BUMPED ME UP TO 9 AND THEN TO 10000 FT. AT 10000 I WAS PICKING UP MODERATE MIXED ICE AND REQUESTED LOWER. I WAS PROGRESSIVELY AND EVENTUALLY STEPPED DOWN TO 5000 FT; BUT SHORTLY AFTER LEAVING 10000 I WAS ADVISED THAT MY TRANSPONDER WAS BECOMING INTERMITTENT AND INSTRUCTED TO RECYCLE IT NUMEROUS TIMES; WHICH I DID. EVENTUALLY; I CROSSED FOOTHILLS VOR; WHICH I COMPARED TO MY ELAPSED FLT TIME TO THAT POINT; AND I SUSPECTED THAT MY GNDSPD WAS EVEN LESS THAN EARLIER CALCULATED AND EARLIER INDICATED BY MY FORMERLY OPERATIVE LORAN; AND I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO GET INTO SOME VFR CONDITIONS AND TOP OFF THE FUEL. I TOLD CTR THAT I WOULD LIKE TO LAND AT THE CLOSEST ARPT IN VFR CONDITIONS; IN ORDER TO HAVE MY RADIOS REPAIRED. I DIDN'T DARE TO MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT FUEL THIS TIME! THE CTLR SAID THAT HE WOULD TRY TO GET ME DOWN; BUT WITH MY INTERMITTENT TRANSPONDER/ENCODER; HE DIDN'T WANT TO 'LOSE ME' OUT THERE. I WAS NOW RECEIVING ATHENS VOR VERY WELL; ALTHOUGH I WAS RELYING ON THE CTLR'S INPUT FOR DISTANCE INFO. HAVING FLOWN APPROX 3 HRS AND 25 MINS. I WAS BOTH CONCERNED ABOUT MY FUEL STATUS; AND ABOUT HOW MUCH OF THIS CONCERN WAS A RESULT OF MY EARLIER EXPERIENCE; AND THAT I SHOULD HAVE MORE FAITH IN TIME/FUEL MGMNT. I HAD BEEN FLYING FOR THE LAST 20 MINS OR SO AT VERY LEAN/BEST ECONOMY AND ABOUT 60 PERCENT OF PWR. SO I THOUGHT TO MYSELF; TRY TO RELAX; AND GET ANOTHER UPDATE ON MY DISTANCE TO ATHENS ARPT. WELL; THE CTLR SAID THAT I WAS STILL 20 SOMETHING MI FROM ATHENS AND I COULD HAVE SWORN THAT HE HAD TOLD ME ALMOST THE SAME DISTANCE ABOUT 15 MINS EARLIER. AT THIS POINT I HAD BEEN IN AND OUT OF THE CLOUD BASES AT 3000 FT FOR ABOUT 20 MINS; AND HAD SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES TO DSND INTO VFR CONDITIONS AND LAND ON A SUITABLE LAKE. I DECIDED TO DO JUST THAT; AND INFORMED THE CTLR THAT I WOULD LIKE TO CLOSE MY IFR FLT PLAN AT THIS TIME. HE ASKED ME IF I HAD ATHENS IN SIGHT; AND I RESPONDED 'YES; AND A LAKE.' I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT HE THOUGHT OF MY COMMENT AT THAT MOMENT; BUT I HAD PASSED A SEEMINGLY SUITABLE LAKE JUST MINS BEFORE; AND THAT FELT BETTER TO ME; THAN AN ARPT THAT WAS STILL UPWIND; AND A TIME/FUEL DURATION THAT WAS MAKING ME NERVOUS. I MADE A DSNDING L TURN DOWNWIND TOWARDS THE LAKE. I LEVELED OFF AT 2500 IN VFR CONDITIONS WITH LIGHT RAIN; AND DARK SKIES. I NO SOONER REGAINED SIGHT OF THE LAKE WHEN MY ENG SURGED 3 TIMES AND QUIT. I ENGAGED THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP; AND WIGGLED THE RUDDER; ATTEMPTING TO SCAVENGE ANY LAST BIT OF FUEL AVAILABLE; BELIEVING THAT FUEL STARVATION WAS INDEED THE CAUSE FOR ENG FAILURE. ENG PWR WAS NEVER RESTORED; BUT IT BECAME SUDDENLY EVIDENT THAT I WAS GOING TO MAKE THE LAKE. BELIEVING IN THE PHILOSOPHY THAT IT IS MUCH BETTER TO LAND FAST AND UNDER CTL; THAN TO STALL/SPIN; ETC; I OPTED FOR SLIPPING THE ACFT TO POS FOR A 'HOT' DOWNWIND LNDG; RATHER THAN CHANCING A DOWNWIND LEG WITH A POSSIBLY SLOW AND LOW TURN TO FINAL. I LANDED SMOOTHLY UPON THE LAKE; HOWEVER DID NOT STOP THE ACFT BEFORE THE FAR SHORE. MY ACFT SLID UP ON THE WET GRASS AND CAME TO REST. NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE EXCEPT TO THE AIRPLANE; WHICH SUSTAINED REPAIRABLE DAMAGE WHILE SLIDING UP ON SHORE. ENG RUNNING DURATION APPROX 3 HRS 40 MINS. 1) MOST EVERY PROBLEM; VIOLATION; AND ALL OVER DEMONSTRATION OF POOR JUDGEMENT ON THE PART OF MYSELF; THE PLT AND OWNER OF THIS ACFT; WAS LARGELY DUE TO THE PLT'S A) FAILURE TO ACCEPT/REALIZE THE INST AND RANGE LIMITATIONS OF THE ACFT. B) FAILURE OF THE PLT TO ACCURATELY CALCULATE THE FUEL/TIME RANGE OF THE ACFT; GIVEN THE WINDS AND WX CONDITIONS PRESENT. 2) I WAS UNDER A GREAT DEAL OF PRESSURE TO GET TO TAMPA BAY; FL; FOR A BUSINESS MEETING THAT I BELIEVED TO REPRESENT MY BEST OPPORTUNITY FOR A PROSPEROUS CAREER FUTURE (THOUGHT I JUST HAD TO GET THERE). 3) AFTER MANY YRS AND OVER 6000 HRS OF FLT TIME INCLUDING A GREAT DEAL OF INST TIME; I MUST HAVE DEVELOPED A FEELING OF CONFIDENCE; THAT NOTHING THIS STUPID; OR BLATANTLY IRRESPONSIBLE; WOULD EVER HAPPEN WITH ME IN CHARGE. 4) I WAS VERY ANXIOUS; AND SLEPT POORLY THE NIGHT BEFORE; AND PERHAPS MY JUDGEMENT WAS SOMEWHAT IMPAIRED DUE TO BEING TIRED. 5) PLTS SHOULD HAVE IT DRILLED INTO THEIR BRAINS; THAT THEY ARE NEVER ABOVE THE FARS; BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR EVERYONE'S SAFETY; INCLUDING THE EXPERIENCED PLT; WHO MAY BECOME COMPLACENT OR OVERCONFIDENT. 6) I KNEW THE RULES AND PROPER PROCS. AS SOON AS I HAD MADE 1 ERROR IN JUDGEMENT; IT SEEMED TO HAVE PROGRESSED LIKE DOMINOS.