ACFT DAMAGED IN OFF ARPT EMER LNDG AFTER EXPERIENCING FUEL EXHAUSTION DURING GAR ATTEMPT.

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ON AUG/SUN/93 AT XX00 PM I AND FRIEND LEFT C17 OR THE MARION; IA; ARPT TO FLY TO THE AREA AROUND HANNIBAL; MO; ARPT. WE STOP THERE TO GET GAS. BEFORE LEAVING I PUT IN 10 GALLONS OF GAS AND CHKED WX AND FDC NOTAMS AND DECIDED WE WOULD GO BACK TO THE MARION; IA; ARPT. WHEN I WAS N OF MUSCATINE; IA; I GAVE CEDAR RAPIDS APCH A CALL ON 119.7 AND GOT FLT FOLLOWING TO THE MARION ARPT AND WHEN I HAD SIGHT OF THE MARION ARPT WHICH WAS 5 MI. I CALLED THE ARPT ON 122.7 THEY SAID THE WINDS WHERE CALM. THE ARPT WAS USING RWY 35 BUT THERE WAS A PLANE ON THE GND AT RWY 17 GETTING READY TO TKOF. SO; I PROCEEDED TO 17 TO LAND. AT THAT TIME THE PLANE WAS RUNNING GOOD AND HAD NO PROBLEMS. I HAD QUARTER TANK OR BETTER; THE INSTS READ ALL IN THE GREEN. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS TO TAKE PLACE. AS I APCHED THE END OF THE RWY 17 I WAS LITTLE HIGH TO LAND AND A PLANE WAS AT THE L END OF THE RWY SO I DECIDED TO GAR. I ADDED PWR AND STARTED TO RUN THE FLAPS UP AND STARTED TO GO BACK UP. ALL AT ONCE THE ENG STARTED MISSING AND I TRIED TO STRAIGHTEN IT OUT. IT STRAIGHTENED OUT AND STARTED TO RUN ALL RIGHT AND THEN IT STARTED TO ACT UP AGAIN. I LOOKED TO SEE HOW MUCH RWY WAS LEFT; NOT ENOUGH RWY TO LAND. I KEPT WORKING WITH ENG AND IT STARTED TO RUN AGAIN. I STARTED TO GAR. I THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO GO TO RWY 26; BUT ENG STARTED TO QUIT. I LOOKED FOR A PLACE TO LAND. THERE WAS A TREE RIGHT DOWN IN FRONT TO R OF THE PLANE SO I HAD TO TURN TO L TO MISS IT. I LANDED IN THE FIELD BUT THERE WASN'T ENOUGH TIME TO STOP. THE TALL GRASS WAS ABOUT 150 TO 200 FT IN FRONT OF THE PLANE. THE PLANE MOVING IN TO THE TALL GRASS DUG IN AND THE PLANE FLIPPED OVER. WHEN THE PLANE STOPPED MOVING WE WERE HANGING UPSIDE DOWN IN OUR BELTS. MY FRIEND UNHOOKED HIS BELT AND SAID; ARE YOU ALL RIGHT? I SAID YES AND HE UNHOOKED MY BELT. WE FELL TO THE ROOF AND CRAWLED OUT. SUMMARY: BEFORE LEAVING THE MARION ARPT; THE SMA HAD FULL TANKS. AT HANNIBAL; MO; I PUT IN 10 GALLONS; SO HAD ABOUT 20 GALLONS; I THOUGHT I HAD ENOUGH TO GET TO THE MARION; IA; ARPT. (TOTAL FLT WAS 5.1 HRS.) (ONE THING I SHOULD HAVE DONE IS FILLED THE TANKS AT HANNIBAL; MO.) I HAVE RESOLVED THE PROB AND THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN IN THE FUTURE. BACK TO BASICS AND MAKING FLT PLANS. THIS WILL TAKE IN FUEL CHK AND TIME FOR FLT AND ELSE.