SMA AIR FILES IFR THEN BECOMES CONCERNED REGARDING FUEL STATUS. VECTORED TO ALTERNATE ARPT; MAKES MAP; VECTORED TO DEST ARPT.

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AIR FILED IFR S OF TRI CITY; TN; TO LAND AT HUNTINGTON (HTS). ABOUT HALFWAY BTWN TRI CITY AND HAZARD VOR; I REALIZED WE HAD EITHER MISREAD OR MISCALCULATED THE AMOUNT OF FUEL ON BOARD. THEREFORE; I ASKED THE CTR FOR VECTORS TO THE NEAREST ARPT WITH AN IFR APCH. THEY SUGGESTED CARROLL; KY. BY THE TIME I LOCATE THE APCH CHART AND GOT THE WX; I WAS ALREADY STARTING THE APCH. IT WAS A WASTED APCH. THE WX WAS BELOW MINIMUMS AND THE APCH REQUIRED DME WHICH I DID NOT HAVE. I DECLARED A MISSED APCH AND FUEL EMER. AT THIS POINT; I ESTIMATED I HAD 30- 45 MINS FUEL REMAINING. THE CTR VECTORED US TO HTS WHERE WE MADE A SUCCESSFUL ASR APCH. (WX WAS VFR BELOW THE CLOUDS.) AFTER MUCH SOUL SEARCHING; I'VE CONCLUDED: IT'S BETTER TO LAND AND PROPERLY PLAN AN IFR FLT THEN TO RUSH AN AIR FILE. CONCENTRATE MORE ON FUEL PLANNING. LISTEN! I SHOULD HAVE DECLINED THE APCH AT CARROLL AFTER THE CTR READ THE WX RATHER THEN ATTEMPT IT. I SHOULD HAVE TOLD THE CTR I DIDN'T HAVE DME RATHER THAN WASTE FUEL HOPING THE CLOUDS WOULD OPEN UP AND REVEAL THE ARPT.