EMER OFF ARPT FORCED LNDG BY PVT PLT IN SMA. FUEL EXHAUSTION. FUEL REQUIRED REMAINING.

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A WK AGO; ON AUG/SUN/93; MY WIFE AND I WERE RETURNING TO K32 FROM M085 AFTER VISITING OUR DAUGHTER AND HER HUSBAND OVER THE WKEND. WE HAD RENTED AN SMA FROM RIVERSIDE ARPT NEAR WICHITA. AFTER FLYING FOR 2 HRS; WE APCHED NEWTON; KS; WHICH IS ABOUT 10 MINS FLT TIME FROM RIVERSIDE ARPT. AT THIS POINT THE FUEL GAUGES INDICATED A LITTLE MORE THAN 1/4 FULL. THERE WAS ALSO NO INDICATION OF TROUBLE. WE WERE AT 3000 MSL. WE FLEW AROUND THE CITY OF NEWTON AND HEADED S TOWARDS RIVERSIDE. AS WE BEGAN TO LET DOWN; I ENRICHED THE MIXTURE AND AT THIS POINT THE ENG BEGAN SURGING; THAT IS; ALTERNATELY DYING AND THEN RUNNING. I BEGAN LOOKING FOR A CAUSE; BUT ALL THE GAUGES WERE IN THE GREEN. I TRIED SEPARATE MAGS; THIS MADE NO DIFFERENCE. I THEN THOUGHT IT MUST BE STARVING FOR FUEL; SO I TRIED ROCKING THE WINGS. WE HAD THE TANKS TOPPED IN HARRISONVILLE; SO I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT HAD USED ALL OUR FUEL; YET THE GAUGES STILL INDICATED SOME. AT THIS POINT; I SLOWED THE AIRPLANE TO 60 KTS AND LOOKED FOR A SUITABLE LNDG SITE. WE WERE ALREADY HDG INTO THE WIND. I FOUND A N/S 1-LANE FARM ROAD ABOUT A 1/4 OF A MI LONG; AND LANDED THE AIRPLANE. WE WERE NOT INJURED; SO WE EXITED THE AIRPLANE. AFTER INSPECTION; THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE. WE HAD FLOWN AT THIS POINT SOME 2 HRS AND 15 MINS. I LOOKED IN THE FUEL TANKS AND THERE WAS ONLY AN INCH OR SO OF FUEL LEFT. THERE WERE ALSO NO APPARENT LEAKS FROM THE AIRPLANE. I AM RPTING THIS INCIDENT BECAUSE OF THE LOW FUEL SIT. THE AIRPLANE WOULD NOT START ON THE FUEL LEFT IN THE TANKS; SO ADDITIONAL FUEL WAS BROUGHT TO THE AIRPLANE WHICH WAS STARTED; RAN NORMALLY AND WAS FLOWN ON TO RIVERSIDE; 6 MI AWAY. THERE ARE ONLY SPECULATIONS AS TO THE CAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT: MIXTURE TOO RICH -- THEY HAVE CHKED WITH SOME MECHS AND WERE TOLD THE ENG WOULDN'T RUN ON 8-9 GALLONS HR MIXTURE. BESIDES THE ENG RAN SMOOTHLY UNTIL THIS HAPPENED. FUEL STRAINER LEAKING -- I CHKED THIS AND CLOSED IT AS I PREFLTED THE AIRPLANE. IN ADDITION MY WIFE; DAUGHTER; AND SON-IN-LAW WATCHED ME AS I PREFLTED THE AIRPLANE AND I FEEL THEY WOULD HAVE NOTICED IF I HAD LEFT THIS RUNNING. FUEL SELECTOR VALVE LEAKING -- I'VE BEEN TOLD THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE; BUT HAD NO INDICATION OF THIS. GAS CAP SEAL LEAKING -- I HAD NO INDICATION OF A VAPOR TRAIL WHILE WE WERE FLYING. WING TANK LEAKING -- I ALSO HAD NO INDICATION OF THIS WHILE WE WERE FLYING. I FEEL GOOD THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS JUST AS CAPABLE OF LNDG ON A ROAD AS A RWY. I'M NOT SURE WHAT I COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY. WE WERE WELL BELOW THE ENDURANCE PERFORMANCE OF THE AIRPLANE. WELL BELOW EVEN POOR PERFORMANCE; SO THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A LEAK OF SOME KIND.