C152 STUDENT PLT ON SOLO XCOUNTRY RUNS OUT OF FUEL AND LANDS AT GRASS FIELD WITHOUT INJURY TO ACFT OR PLT NEAR LINCOLN; NE.

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I WAS PLANNING A XCOUNTRY TO EAG. I DID THE FLT PLAN THAT MORNING (THE DAY OF MY FLT) MY CFI CHKED MY PLAN OUT AND ALLOWED ME TO GO. HE TOLD ME TO PLAN ON 36 GALLONS OF GAS IN TANKS. I SAW THE STICKER LATER ON PREFLT. THE REASON I TOOK THIS ACFT (AN SMA) WAS SO I WOULD NOT HAVE TO REFUEL. I FLEW TO EAG AND STOPPED FOR ROUGHLY 15 MINS. BEFORE I TOOK OFF; I FILED A NEW FLT PLAN AND THEN PREFLTED MY ACFT. I FORGOT TO VISUALLY INSPECT THE TANKS; BUT EVERYTHING ELSE WAS DONE. THE FLT BACK; I CRUISED AT 4500 FT; FLEW OVER THE CITY OF OMAHA; AND THEN I NOTICED MY FUEL GAUGES. I DID A QUICK MENTAL CHK ON HOW MUCH TIME I HAD LEFT. I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT EACH TANK HELD 18 GALLONS OF FUEL. EACH TANK READ BTWN EMPTY AND 1/4. I TRIED TO FIGURE HOW MANY GALLONS WERE LEFT. I ROUNDED DOWN FOR 1/4 OF A TANK AND GOT 4 GALLONS; SO THEN I TOOK MY E6B AND PLUGGED IN THE WIND; MY HDG; AND HOW MUCH GAS I HAD LEFT. I GUESSED THAT I HAD 4 GALLONS TOTAL FUEL REMAINING. IF THIS WERE TRUE; THEN I WOULD HAVE PLENTY OF GAS TO MAKE IT TO LINCOLN. I WAS HANDED OFF TO LINCOLN APCH FROM OMAHA AND I ASKED FOR AN IMMEDIATE NO DELAY LNDG. ABOUT 5 MINS LATER; MY ENG SPUTTERED AND I ASKED APCH (LNK) FOR AN ALTERNATE ARPT. THEY GAVE ME WEEPING WATER AND ONE THAT WAS TOO FAR AWAY. I HEADED BACK TOWARD WEEPING WATER LOOKING FOR THE RWY. I COULD NOT IDENT IT; SO I WAS FORCED TO LAND IN A DIRT FIELD 1/4 MI AWAY FROM THE TOWN. THE PLANE WAS INSPECTED BY MECHS AND WAS FOUND TO BE UNDAMAGED. I; TOO; WALKED AWAY UNDAMAGED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 422755: MY STUDENT FLEW FROM LNK TO EAG. LANDED AT EAG FOR 15 MINS; PREFLTED AND RETURNED TO LNK. WHILE ENRTE TO LNK; HE ENCOUNTERED FUEL STARVATION WHICH CAUSED HIM TO EXECUTE AN EMER OFF ARPT LNDG; WHICH AFTER INSPECTION BY IA MECH; WAS FOUND TO BE WITHOUT ANY DAMAGE. COMMENTED THAT ALTHOUGH HE DIDN'T VISUALLY INSPECT THE AMOUNT OF FUEL IN HIS TANKS AT EAG HIS GAUGES WERE REGISTERING GREATER THAN 1/2 HIS FUEL REMAINED. WHILE ENRTE AND OVER MLE; HE WAS AWARE THAT HIS FUEL INDICATED LESS THAN 1/4 FUEL REMAINED IN EACH L AND R TANKS. PRIOR TO HIS FUEL RUNNING OUT; HE REQUESTED PRIORITY HANDLING BY LNK ATC. WHEN HIS ENG QUIT; HE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING VECTORED BY ATC TO EPG. UNABLE TO IDENT THE GRASS RWY AT EPG; EXECUTED AN OFF ARPT LNDG. EVENTS THAT LED TO HIS FUEL STARVATION INCLUDE: 1) THE ACFT HAD A WING PLACARD INDICATING THAT IT HELD 18 GALLONS IN THE R TANK (WHICH WAS MUCH MORE VISIBLE AND PLACED OVER THE FADED PAINTED PLACARD INDICATING 13 GALLONS). ALTHOUGH THE L WING WAS MISSING AN 18 GALLON PLACARD; IT DID HAVE A 13 GALLON FADED PAINTED PLACARD. BOTH STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR WERE LED TO BELIEVE THAT THIS ACFT HELD 34.5 GALLONS OF USABLE FUEL. 2) THE STUDENT HAD FLOWN THE ACFT FOR 4 HRS DURING HIS XCOUNTRY AT ALT LESS THAN 5500 FT WITHOUT LEANING. 2) THE STUDENT; ALTHOUGH AWARE THAT HIS FUEL WAS LOW; FAILED TO RELY UPON THEIR ACCURACY AND FAILED TO REFUEL AT MLE. 4) THE STUDENT; WHEN CONFRONTED WITH THE ENG OUT; PROCEEDED TO FOLLOW HIS TRAINING AND EXECUTED AN OFF FIELD LNDG; VERY SIMILAR TO GRASS LAND HE AND I HAD PRACTICED AT SWT. BESIDES FOR BEING SHAKEN UP A BIT; BOTH PLANE AND PLT WERE UNHARMED.