C210 HAS FUEL EXHAUSTION LANDS OFF ARPT.

Narrative

THE ACFT INVOLVED IS A C210. MY FRIENDS AND I WERE GOING TO GO ON A ROUTINE FLT (FOR PLEASURE); WHICH WAS TO GO TO LVK (LIVERMORE) AND FROM THERE A BAY TOUR BACK TO PALO ALTO. ONE OF THE FRIENDS IS THE MECH FOR THAT C210. WHEN I GOT TO THE ACFT; I FOUND IT OPENED ALREADY. ALL OF THEM WERE EXCITED TO GO; SO I STARTED MY PREFLT. WHEN I GOT TO THE FUEL I ASKED THE MECH IF WE HAD FUEL. HE ASSURED ME THAT YES; THE OWNER ALWAYS HAS IT TOPPED OFF; SO YES WE HAVE PLENTY OF FUEL; SO I JUST SUMPED ALL THE TANKS; DID THE REST OF MY PREFLT AND WENT TO VERIFY THE FUEL LEVEL BY TURNING ON THE MASTER SWITCH AND OBSERVING THE LEVELS; WHICH INDEED INDICATED 'FULL.' WE WENT TO LVK AND STOPPED THERE TO GO TO THE REST ROOMS. ON THE FLT OVER I SAW THE CITY FOGGED IN AND TOLD THE PAX WE'D BE UNABLE TO DO A BAY TOUR. AFTER DOING ANOTHER RUN UP; WE WERE ON OUR WAY BACK TO PAO. I HAD BEEN ON THE L TANK THE ENTIRE TIME AND SAW NO NEED TO SWITCH TANKS. I DID SOME STEEP TURNS OVER NILES CANYON AND FREMONT AT 2700 FT AND WHEN I ROLLED OUT OF A TURN MY ENG QUIT. I HIT FULL THROTTLE; GOT A COUPLE 100 RPM BACK AND LOST IT ALL 10 SECONDS LATER. I MADE A MAYDAY CALL TO PAO TWR AND INFORMED THEM ABOUT MY SIT. I THEN WENT THROUGH THE EMER PROCS; BY FLOW CHK AND VERIFIED IT BY THE CHKLIST. BEING UNSUCCESSFUL I DROPPED GEAR AND FLAPS WHEN I KNEW THE FIELD WAS MADE AND LANDED S OF LAKE ELIZABETH IN A FIELD. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND THE PLANE HAD NO DAMAGE TO IT. ONLY LATER DID I FIND OUT THE GAUGES WERE INOP AND THERE WAS ONLY LITTLE FUEL (25-30 GALS ON BOARD -- 2/3 PROBABLY IN THE R TANK; I WAS ON THE L WHEN IT QUIT) I DON'T KNOW WHY IT DIDN'T RESTART AGAIN. HOW WAS I TO KNOW THAT THE GAUGES WERE FAULTY AND TO MY STUPIDITY I TRUSTED A MECH FRIEND WHO OBVIOUSLY WAS UNAWARE OF THE FUEL STATUS. I KNOW WHAT MY RESPONSIBILITIES OF ACFT ARE; YOU CAN'T TRUST ANYONE BUT YOURSELF; NO MATTER IF IT'S A STUDENT CHKING IT IN FRONT OF YOU OR A FRIEND OF YOURS. DO YOUR OWN PREFLT; ENTIRELY.