A CESSNA 182 MADE AN OFF FIELD LNDG DUE TO FUEL STARVATION CAUSED BY A FUEL DIPSTICK NOT CALIBRATED FOR A LATER MODEL WET WING ACFT.

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WHILE DSCNDING FOR LNDG; THE PLANE RAN OUT OF FUEL. INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE REMAINED TO GLIDE TO ARPT. PLT ELECTED TO LAND ON PAVED COUNTY ROAD 3 MILES S OF ARPT. NO POWER LINES; TREES OR OTHER OBSTRUCTIONS WERE OBSERVED OR ENCOUNTERED. A SAFE LANDING WAS MADE. NO DAMAGE-NO INJURIES. BEFORE THE FLT FUEL TANKS WERE VISUALLY MEASURED WITH A DIPSTICK MANUFACTURED BY ABC PRODUCTS. TANKS SHOWED A TOTAL OF 50 GAL USEABLE. FLT WAS PLANNED FOR 2.5 HRS. FUEL BURN AT THE ALTITUDE AND POWER SETTING WAS CALCULATED AT 12.6 GPH THIS SHOULD HAVE PROVIDED NOT ONLY FUEL FOR THE FLT; BUT SUFFICIENT RESERVES FOR LEGAL VFR FLT PLANNING PURPOSES. AT THE TIME THE PLANE RAN OUT OF GAS THE GAUGES SHOWED BTWN 5 AND 10 GAL EACH SIDE. HOBBS TIME SHOWED 2.7 HRS. TANKS WERE COMPLETELY DRY UPON LNDG. WE HAD THE FUEL TRUCK PUT 10 GAL IN EACH SIDE. WE GAUGED THE TANKS AGAIN. THE DIPSTICK READ 17 GAL PER SIDE THIS IS 14 GAL MORE THAN WAS PUT IN THE PLANE. I BELIEVE THAT INSTEAD OF HAVING 50 GAL USEABLE WHEN WE STARTED THE FLT WE HAD ONLY 36 GAL AND THE TIME OF THE FLT BEARS THIS OUT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE CESSNA 182 WAS FUELED NORMALLY AND TANKS WERE CHKED FULL USING A FUEL HAWK C182LR. THE RPTR SAID THIS FUEL DIPSTICK IS COMMONLY USED THROUGHOUT THE INDUSTRY. THE RPTR SAID THIS DIPSTICK WAS CALIBRATED FOR A CESSNA 182 WITH BLADDER TANKS AND IF USED ON A LATER WET WING CESSNA 182 WILL RESULT IN A FUEL SHORTAGE. THE RPTR SAID NO MANUFACTURERS ALERT BULLETIN OR ANY DISCLAIMER WAS SENT OUT TO ALERT CESSNA 182 OWNERS AND OPERATORS.