C152 PLT TOUCHED DOWN ON AN INTERSTATE HWY DURING AN EMER FORCED LNDG DUE TO FUEL STARVATION AND SUBSEQUENTLY TOOK OFF AND LANDED AT NEARBY DEST ARPT AFTER REGAINING SUFFICIENT ENG PWR.

Narrative

A 500 NM ROUND TRIP FLT WAS PLANNED LEAVING FROM VANDENBURG; FL (VDF) TO CORDELE; GA (CKF). ESTIMATED TIME ENRTE WAS 5.5 HRS. THE FLT WENT AS PLANNED. I LEFT WITH 24 GALLONS OF FUEL AND PURCHASED ANOTHER 12 GALLONS IN CORDELE. 1 HR OF FUEL WAS EXPECTED TO BE REMAINING AFTER THE FLT. ABOUT 5.7 HRS INTO THE FLT; A LOSS OF ENG PWR OCCURRED DUE TO FUEL STARVATION. I WAS 13 NM N OF VANDENBURG AND 2 NM N OF TAMPA NORTH ARPT (X39). I PREPARED TO MAKE AN EMER LNDG ON INTERSTATE 75. I ENDED UP LNDG ON THE INTERSTATE; ROLLING ABOUT 100 YARDS; AND REGAINING ENOUGH PWR TO MAKE A SMALL CLB AND A R TURN TO LAND AT TAMPA NORTH. I LANDED SAFELY WITHOUT DAMAGE OR INJURY. SOME OF THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: STRONGER WINDS THAN EXPECTED; MORE FUEL BURNED THAN EXPECTED (I PLANNED FOR 5.5 GPH AND ACTUALLY BURNED ABOUT 6.5 GPH); SMALL DETOURS AROUND SMOKE AND WILD FIRES BURNING ALONG THE RTE OF FLT. I ALSO DIDN'T CONSIDER ALL FACTORS INVOLVED IN WEAR AND TEAR ON THE AIRFRAME; ENG; AND PROP. I BELIEVED THAT THE GIVEN INFO IN THE OPERATORS HANDBOOK WAS FAIRLY ACCURATE; WHEN IN FACT IT IS ONLY A REF. I MADE A POOR JUDGEMENT ON MY FLT PLAN FOR FUEL BURNED ENRTE. I SHOULD HAVE COMPLETELY FILLED UP THE TANKS INSTEAD OF ONLY ADDING 12 GALLONS. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: BETTER FLT PLANNING; REQUIRE ACFT AND ENG MANUFACTURERS TO GIVE MORE ACCURATE DATA ON FUEL CONSUMPTION; CREATE A WAY TO UPDATE DATA ANNUALLY WITH FLT TESTS PERFORMED BY THE ACFT OWNER. (THE INFO AND DATA I USED WAS FROM THE EARLY 1970'S.) SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE TO UPDATE OLD AND OUTDATED INFO.