General aviation pilot reported an engine failure due to lack of fuel resulting in an off airport landing; near the non-towered airstrip. No injuries or damage occurred and once fuel was added; the aircraft was flown to the nearby airstrip.

Narrative

Precautionary off-airport landing.While on final approach to the air strip; the engine stopped. There are trees and power lines on the approach to this runway which may or may not have caused a bigger problem. Consequently; I elected to turn and land in an empty field where there were no obstacles. The landing was uneventful and I had enough energy to roll up to an 'access driveway' on the nearest road. After exiting the airplane; I determined the original problem to be fuel-related. Because I was parked close to the road; a passer-by offered a ride to the airstrip where I retrieved 5-gallons of fuel and returned to the airplane. Once the fuel was added; the system was primed and the engine started uneventfully. By the time I had returned to the airplane; the local fire department had been dispatched due to a reported 'airplane crash'. This was not even remotely close to a crash but rather people were simply reacting to the site of an airplane parked in a driveway along a road. No people or property were harmed but I understand how it looked to those who were concerned. I'm filing this report simply because the fire department and the local law enforcement were dispatched. Removal/Relocation of aircraft: I had planned to use the field to simply take off and fly the short 0.25 miles over to the airstrip but the fire department offered to block the road and I accepted their offer. The airplane started; taxied; and ran-up OK. The take-off roll and climb was uneventful and I was back on the airstrip in less than two minutes. From a 'how did this happen' standpoint; I believed all the way up until the engine stopped that I had more than an adequate amount of fuel. Yet once I added 5 gallons; the sight gauge indicated 6 gallons; which is at least two gallons less than I expected. Which means that my original estimate of fuel on board and original estimate of time-in-flight were not adequate for the actual time of the flight. Ironically; if the failure had happened a minute earlier; I would have landed on the airstrip. I had actually flown a full 'standard pattern' including crosswind; downwind; base; and final. Which means that I flew a couple of miles more than needed to stay 'standard'; I actually flew 'away from the runway' in this process.