FUEL EXHAUSTION CREATES NEED FOR EMER OFF ARPT LNDG.

Narrative

IN SUM: RPTR AND WIFE LEFT CMI; IL; FOR AN IFR FLT TO NEW ORLEANS WITH A FUEL STOP PLANNED FOR AWM; WEST MEMPHIS; AR. ON TOP AT 8000 FT; THE WINDS SOON WERE NOTED TO DIFFER FROM THE FORECAST WINDS ALOFT BUT RPTR PRESSED ON. THE FLT TIME WAS PLANNED AT 3:18 WITH :45 MINS OF FUEL RESERVES ON BOARD. NEARING THE FIRST STOP; AWM; THE VECTOR TO THE ARPT BROUGHT THEM TO THE NDB BUT THE LOC SIGNAL OR INDICATION WAS LACKING. MISSED APCH MADE. WX WAS NOT THE BEST AND SOME MISSED APCHS WERE BEING MADE AT MEMPHIS. AFTER ANOTHER ATTEMPT AT AN APCH INTO AWM; THEY MISSED AGAIN AND THEN ATC HAD A PROB ACFT SO RPTR OFFERED TO DEPART THE AREA AND PROCEED TO ALTERNATE ARPT. THE CTLR GAVE BETTER WX AT A NEW ALTERNATE BUT FUEL DID NOT ALLOW THAT AND FLT HEADED TOWARDS ARG; WALNUT RIDGE; ANOTHER 'NEW' ALTERNATE. AGAIN; FUEL WAS A CONCERN BUT OFF THEY WENT. GND SPD DROPPED ALARMINGLY TO 60 KTS SO PLT NOTED ANOTHER ARPT; JONESBORO AND ASKED FOR A VECTOR; BEING ONLY 15 MI FROM THERE. AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO GET THE JBR ILS IN TUNE FROM THE FREQ DISPLAYED ON RPTR'S APCH PLATES. NOTHING. HE THEN TRIED THE VOR APCH AND SENSED THE ENG LOSING PWR SO ESTABLISHED BEST GLIDE SPD. THERE WAS FREQ CONGESTION TO RPTR STATED MAY DAY HOPING TO GET PRIORITY. CTLR GAVE PLT THE ILS FREQ OF 110.5; RPTR DID NOT RESPOND. PLT WAS VERY SCARED AS HE KNEW HE HAD ONLY THIS 'ONE SHOT' AT THE ARPT; BREAKING OUT OF THE OVCST AT 400 FT ABOUT 2.5 MI S OF THE ARPT. A ROAD WAS SPOTTED AND PLT MADE EMER LNDG ON THE ROAD; JUST MISSING A CAR AND ENDING UP SLIGHTLY OFF THE ROAD WITH L GEAR AND NOSE GEAR IN THE SIDE DITCH. MINOR ACFT DAMAGE. HWY PATROL CALLED NTSB AND LCL FBO. TRUCK LATER PULLED ACFT OUT OF DITCH AND IT WAS TOWED 1 MI TO A CROP DUSTER'S FIELD WHERE IT WAS LEFT 'NONE THE WORSE FOR WEAR.' RPTR NOTED THAT HIS CURRENT CHART DID NOT SHOW THE JBR ILS FREQ AS IT HAD BEEN CHANGED RECENTLY. RPTR CRITICIZED HIMSELF FOR NOT DEPARTING AWM SOONER AFTER THE FIRST APCH BUT HADN'T TRUSTED HIS INSTS OR HIMSELF.