GA PLT OF CESSNA 177 WITH FUEL EXHAUSTION MAKES EMER LNDG AT LAUGHLIN AFB.

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PLT AND PAX WERE ENRTE WITH FLT FOLLOWING FROM AUS TO DRT. ZHU HANDED US OFF TO DEL RIO APCH. WE WERE CLRED TO LAUGHLIN VOR THEN DIRECT DRT. WE HAD A SERIES OF LETDOWNS FROM 6500 FT MSL. FIRST LETDOWN WAS TO 5500 FT MSL. SECOND WAS TO 3600 FT MSL AND WE WERE TO HOLD THIS ALT UNTIL 5 MI FROM THE LAUGHLIN VOR. WHEN WE WERE CLRED TO 3600 FT MSL; THE CARDINAL 177 WAS TRIMMED FOR A 900 FPM DSCNT. WHILE DSNDING; WE PASSED THE LAUGHLIN VOR AND TURNED ON COURSE TO DRT. ACFT WAS BEING LEVELED STARTING AT 3690 FT. WHILE INCREASING MANIFOLD PRESSURE TO RESUME LEVEL FLT; THE ENG WOULD NOT INCREASE IN PWR FROM WHAT FELT LIKE A HIGH IDLE. ENG OUT EMER PROCS WERE STARTED IMMEDIATELY AND PAX WAS NOTIFIED THAT WE HAVE A PROB. MIXTURE WAS IN FOR THE DSCNT. PROP WAS ALREADY ADVANCED TO 2500 RPM; ELECTRIC FUEL BOOST WAS ON; FUEL PRESSURE READ NORMAL; AND TANKS WERE STILL SWITCHED AT 'BOTH.' I DECLARED 'MAYDAY; MAYDAY; MAYDAY;' TO DEL RIO APCH; 'ENG OUT; AM RETURNING TO AND NEED TO LAND LAUGHLIN AFB; ASAP; REQUESTING PERMISSION TO LAND.' DURING THE TURN BACK TO LAUGHLIN AFB; I PULLED THE THROTTLE TO A COMPLETE IDLE AND THEN SLOWLY ADVANCED BACK TO FULL THROTTLE WHILE ROCKING THE ACFT'S WINGS. THERE WAS NO INCREASE IN PWR. DEL RIO APCH CLRED US FOR IMMEDIATE LNDG AND REQUESTED WE USE THE MIDDLE OF 3 RWYS. I ANNOUNCED THAT I WAS ON FINAL FOR THE R MOST RWY AS IT WAS CLOSEST. DEL RIO APCH ONCE AGAIN SAID THAT THEY NEED CARDINAL IN EMER TO USE THE MIDDLE RWY AND IN THE SAME SENTENCE THEY ISSUED AN IMMEDIATE BREAK-OUT COMMAND TO A DEPARTING AND ONCOMING T37. I RESPONDED THAT CARDINAL UNDERSTANDS AND WILL USE MIDDLE RWY. WE HAD AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG AND EXITED TXWY D AS INSTRUCTED. ENG AND ACFT WAS SHUT DOWN IN PROPER ORDER AND THE EMER RESPONSE TEAM WAS ENRTE TO GREET US. I SUMPED BOTH WINGS AND THE FUEL STRAINER AND SAW NO FUEL SHORTAGE PROB. HOWEVER; TANK INSPECTION SHOWED COMPLETE FUEL EXHAUSTION. MISINFO; MISMGMNT; AND MECHANICAL PROBS ARE THE 3 AREAS CONTRIBUTING TO FUEL EXHAUSTION INCIDENTS. WE WILL REVIEW EACH AREA. INFO: THE CARDINAL 177 OPERATING MANUAL SAYS THE ACFT HOLDS 25 GALS EACH SIDE WITH 24.5 GALS USABLE. THE FUEL CAP PLACARD ON EACH WING SAYS ONLY 24.0 GALS ARE USABLE. WE USE THE LOWER NUMBER FOR FLT PLANNING AND THEREFORE HAVE 48 GALS USABLE. OUR FLTS USED PWR CHART SETTINGS THAT INDICATE 9.7 GPH BURN. THAT WOULD YIELD 4.95 HRS FLYING TIME. GAS/TRIP FACTS: AFTER A XCOUNTRY TRIP ON JAN/XX/99; THE ACFT WAS FILLED WITH GAS FOR STORAGE AT LOCKHART ARPT; 50R. ON FEB/XX/99; PRIOR TO A TRIP TO BRAZORIA COUNTY ARPT (LBX); VISUAL INSPECTION REVEALED THE ACFT WAS STILL FULL IN BOTH TANKS. THE FLT TIME TO LBX WAS EXACTLY 1 HR. THE ACFT WAS FILLED AT LBX DUE TO A RETURN NIGHT FLT TO 50R THEN ON TO AUSTIN MULLER (AUS) FOR OVERNIGHT PARKING. THE FILL-UP AT LBX REQUIRED 9.37 GALS. (SEE ENCLOSED RECEIPT.) THIS REAFFIRMED TO ME THAT THE FUEL BURN WAS AS DETERMINED IN THE ACFT PWR CHARTS. THE RETURN TRIP TO 50R AND THEN TO AUS REQUIRED 1 HR 28 MINS. FOR FLT PLANNING WE ASSUMED CONSERVATIVELY THAT WE USED A FULL 2 HRS FUEL BURN FOR THIS LEG. WE KNEW THE NEXT DAY WE WOULD LEAVE AUS FOR DEL RIO (DRT) AND WE ESTIMATED 2 HRS TRIP TIME. WE KNEW WE HAD 3 HRS FUEL ONBOARD AND THE REQUIRED 2 HRS VFR TRIP TO DRT WOULD LEAVE 1 HR ONBOARD UPON LNDG DRT. ON FEB/XX/99; DURING PREFLT FOR THE DRT TRIP; VISUAL TANK INSPECTION REVEALED NO DISCREPANCIES AND WE STILL ASSUMED 3 HRS FUEL ONBOARD. FUEL EXHAUSTION OCCURRED 1 HR AND 48 MINS ENRTE TO DRT. MGMNT: THIS ACFT IS FLOWN BY 1 PLT; PWR CHART SETTINGS ARE ALWAYS USED. ACFT PWR IS ALWAYS TARGETED FOR APPROX 75% HORSEPOWER OUTPUT. AT 6500 FT; ENG LEANED; 21 INCHES MANIFOLD; AND 2400 RPM; THE PWR CHARTS INDICATE A FUEL BURN OF 9.7 GPH. WE ALWAYS RE-LEAN WHEN CHANGING CRUISING ALTS. PAX IS APPROX 30 HRS INTO PVT PLT TRAINING. HE AND PIC RECHKED THE PWR CHARTS SEVERAL TIMES ENRTE TO DRT. MECHANICAL PROBS: ACFT WAS CHKED BY CFII AND AP MECH AND SUBSEQUENTLY FLOWN BY THAT PERSON. NO MECHANICAL PROBS WERE FOUND. WHAT ACTIONS NOW:I AM MEASURING FUEL BURN VERSUS PWR CHART VERSUS TRIP TIMES TO CONFIRM THAT THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF FUEL IS BEING USED. FOR FLT PLANNING I AM ASSUMING THAT I ONLY HAVE 3.5 HRS ONBOARD AND NOT 5 HRS; WHEN THE ACFT IS FULL. ANYTIME THE PLANE IS PARKED OVERNIGHT AND FLOWN THE NEXT DAY; IT WILL BE FILLED PRIOR TO THAT FLT.