A PVT PLT IN A DIAMOND KATANA RUNS OUT OF FUEL AND MAKES AN EMER OFF ARPT FORCED LNDG WITHIN 15 MI OF CHANDLER; CHD; AZ.

Narrative

UPON INSPECTION (WITH A WOODEN DOWEL DIPSTICK PROVIDED WITH PLANE) MARKED IN 1/4 INCREMENTS 1/4; 2/4; 3/4; 4/4; THE FUEL QUANTITY READ JUST ABOVE 2/4 OR 11 GALLONS (20 GALLONS USABLE FULL). I WAS PREPARING FOR A RETURN FLT FROM EARLIER THIS SAME MORNING. THE CONSUMPTION RATE IS APPROX 3.5 - 5 GPH AT MODERATE TO NORMAL PWR SETTINGS (6-7 GPH AT MAX PWR SETTINGS AND LOWER ELEVATION). I WAS APPROX 1 HR INTO MY FLT WITH ALL ENG INSTS AND CONDITIONS NORMAL WHEN THE ENG BEGAN TO LOSE PWR AND THE FUEL PRESSURE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FUEL GAUGE WAS READING 1/4 (SLIGHTLY BELOW). I WAS APCHING MY DEST FIELD APPROX 1300 FT AGL. I HAD RADIOED IN JUST EARLIER TO THE CTL TWR FOR LNDG INSTRUCTIONS (JUST PRIOR TO MY LOSS OF PWR). I DID WHAT I COULD IN THE COCKPIT -- ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP ON; FUEL SELECTOR VALVE OPEN; IGNITION; FUSES; CARB HEAT. THERE WAS NO IMPROVEMENT -- THE ENG LOST PWR IN AND OUT BRIEFLY THEN COMPLETE LOSS OF PWR. I RADIOED I HAD TROUBLE AND WOULD BE FORCED TO LAND. IN HINDSIGHT; I THINK I BENEFITED GREATLY BY REALIZING THERE WAS NOTHING MORE I COULD DO AND GAVE FULL ATTN TO FINDING A FIELD AND FLYING THE PLANE; I WS RELATIVELY LOW IN ALT (=?-1300 FT AGL). I PUT THE PLANE DOWN IN A DIRT FIELD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CITY. I WAS UNINJURED AND THE PLANE WAS VISUALLY UNDAMAGED. NOW; SITTING IN THE DIRT FIELD (LEVEL) THE FUEL GAUGE READ A LITTLE UNDER 1/4. I DIPPED THE GAS TANK AND NOTHING SHOWED UP ON DIPSTICK. I CANNOT RALLY SAY WHAT HAPPENED WITH COMPLETE CONFIDENCE. I KNOW THE FUEL INDICATED ON THE DIPSTICK PRIOR TO DEP WAS SUFFICIENT FOR THE RETURN FLT WITH AN APPROX HR RESERVE. I HAD NO REASON TO BELIEVE I WAS STRETCHING FUEL THEN. I WAS IN NO HURRY WITH NO REASON TO SUSPECT DANGER. I ASKED MYSELF AFTER THE INCIDENT COULD THE DIPSTICK BE FAULTY AND WHEN INDICATING 11 GALLONS THEN REALLY BE LESS. I EXPERIMENTED ON AN AIRPLANE OF THE SAME TYPE WITH SAME FUEL TANK AND MEASURING DEVICE. WE (THE OWNER OF THIS KATANA) AND I GOT A 5 GALLON VARIATION ON THE READINGS WITH THE SAME QUANTITY OF FUEL. THE DIPSTICK GOES IN AT AN ANGLE (FAIRLY SUBSTANTIAL ANGLE) AND WITH A LITTLE ACFT MOVEMENT AND DIPSTICK ORIENTATION ALTERED I ACHIEVED A 5 GALLON INCREASE IN FUEL LEVEL; NOT FROM A FAILURE TO BOTTOM OUT DIPSTICK TO ARTIFICIALLY SHOW LESS FUEL AND THEN MORE FUEL ONCE THE DIPSTICK IS FULLY INSERTED. AN ACFT MECH MENTIONED THAT THE CARBS (WHICH AUTOMATICALLY ADJUST MIXTURE ON THE KATANA) COULD HAVE BEEN OVERLY RICH AND STILL NOT RUN NOTICEABLY ROUGH. (THERE IS NO MIXTURE CTL IN THE COCKPIT OF THIS PLANE.) I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION THAT THE REASON I DID NOT TOP UP THE TANK PRIOR TO MY RETURN WAS FOR PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS. I HAD 1 HR (PLUS) RESERVE OF FUEL (INDICATED BY THE DIPSTICK; 11 GALLONS/5 GALLON RESERVE). I HAD EXTREMELY CLR WX CONDITIONS WITH LIGHT WINDS AND ALTERNATE FIELDS ALL ALONG MY RTE. THIS KATANA IS A SMALL PLANE WITH MODERATE PERFORMANCE. EXTRA WT AT THE HIGH ELEVATION FIELD I WAS DEPARTING FROM WAS A CONSIDERATION NOT TO IGNORE.