FLT ASSIST TO PREVENT FUEL EXHAUSTION.

Narrative

I DEPARTED CULLMAN; AL; FOR GALLATIN; TN -- A FLT THAT I PLANNED TO BE APPROX 1 HR DURATION. I HAD FLT PLANNED THAT I HAD 30 GALLONS OF FUEL FOR THE TRIP. I HAD FIRST CALLED FOR WX ENRTE AND DEST WX AND WAS GIVEN THE CLOSEST WX TO MY DEST (NASHVILLE; TN). AS CURRENTLY RPTING 2500 FT BROKEN RAPIDLY IMPROVING TO 3000 FT SCATTERED BEFORE MY ARR TIME; VISIBILITY IN EXCESS OF 10 MI. HOWEVER ON MY ARR AT GALLATIN; I FOUND THE WX TO BE SOLID UNDERCAST (I WAS AT 5500 FT). FUEL ON BOARD AT THIS TIME WAS ROUGHLY 14 GALLONS; BUT BOTH FUEL GAUGES READ EMPTY. I QUICKLY ASSESSED THE SIT AND DECIDED I SHOULD GET AN ASSIST IN LNDG MY PLANE FROM NASHVILLE APCH RADAR. ALTHOUGH A VFR PLT; I THOUGHT MY CHANCES OF GETTING ON THE GND SAFELY WERE MUCH BETTER WITH APCH ASSISTING SINCE I COULD NOT FIND A HOLE AND THE GAUGES WERE DEAD EMPTY. APCH FIRST VECTORED ME SOUTHERLY TO SMYRNA; TN; WHERE VFR CONDITIONS WERE RPTED. FINDING NO VFR CONDITIONS AND THE FUEL SIT BEING CRITICAL; I TOLD NASHVILLE APCH I NEEDED TO GET DOWN. THE CTLR ASSISTED MY DSCNT AND I BROKE INTO CLR AIR ABOUT 1300-1400 FT MSL. THE ACFT ENG QUIT ON DOWNWIND TO RWY 35. I IMMEDIATELY CHANGED TANKS; WENT TO LOW PRIME; RESTARTED THE ENG AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER PROBS. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF A POOR WX FORECAST. I BELIEVE MY DECISIONS UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES WERE JUSTIFIED; AND THAT MY ACTIONS WERE CORRECT.