AIR TAXI PLT DEPARTS WITHOUT SUFFICIENT FUEL; LANDS SHORT AT AAB.

Narrative

ON FRI/APR/1994 I RECEIVED INFO THAT I WAS TO TAKE A FLT ON SATURDAY. I WAS ADVISED THAT I WOULD HAVE 5 PAX FOR A FLT TO LOUISVILLE; KY; (SDF) DEPARTING AT AM:00. THE ACFT HAD JUST RETURNED FROM A TRIP THAT HAD LASTED 1.9 HRS BLOCK TIME. I ASSUMED THE ACFT WAS TOPPED OFF PRIOR TO THAT TRIP. I WENT TO THE ACFT AND LOOKED AT THE WING SIGHT GAUGES TO DETERMINE WHAT AMOUNT OF FUEL WAS ON BOARD. I USE THE SIGHT GAUGES AS I FEEL THE OTHER GAUGES IN THE ACFT MISREPRESENT FUEL LOAD. UPON OBSERVING THE GAUGES I SAW WHAT I THOUGHT WAS 60 GALLONS PER SIDE. I THEN INSTRUCTED THE LINE SVC NOT TO PUT FUEL INTO THE ACFT AS THIS AMOUNT OF FUEL WAS SUFFICIENT FOR THE 1 HR FLT TO SDF. I INITIATED THE FLT AND THE WX WAS CLEAR WITH HIGH VISIBILITY ALL ALONG THE RTE. AT APPROX X:50 I BEGAN DSCNT INTO SDF AND AT THAT TIME THE R ENG BEGAN TO SURGE. I PUSHED UP THE THROTTLES; MIXTURES AND PROPS AND NOTICED THE R FUEL FLOW WAS ON '0.' I TURNED ON THE FUEL PUMPS AND TURNED ON THE XFEED FROM THE L TO GIVE FUEL TO THE R. AT THAT TIME I ALSO ADVISED SDF APPROACH THAT I WOULD NEED TO GO DIRECT TO THE ARPT THEN ADVISED THEM THAT I WOULD NEED THE CLOSEST AVAILABLE ARPT. SDF APPROACH ISSUED ME CLRNC TO LAND AT FT. KNOX GODMAN AAB WHICH WAS 5 MI AWAY. I LANDED THE ACFT WITHOUT INCIDENT. UPON LNDG AT FT. KNOX I DETERMINED THE FOLLOWING ITEMS: THE ACFT HAD NOT BEEN TOPPED OFF. I MISREAD THE SIGHT GAUGES IN THE WING. THE ACFT WAS BURNING MORE FUEL PER HR THAN I HAD CALCULATED. AT FT. KNOX AN FBO IN ELIZABETHTOWN; KY; WAS CALLED AND HE DELIVERED FUEL TO THE ARPT. I THEN RAN THE AIRPLANE UP TO DETERMINE IF THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A MECHANICAL PROB THAT CAUSED THE ENG TO SURGE. I FOUND NO PROBS AND RELOCATED THE ACFT TO ELIZABETHTOWN FOR ADDITIONAL FUEL THEN PROCEEDED TO CAPE GIRARDEAU.