PLT OF C152 EXPERIENCES ENG FAILURE DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. DEAD STICKS TO A SAFE LNDG AT CMH.

Narrative

I LAUNCHED FROM CMH AND HAD PLANNED TO HAVE ENOUGH FUEL TO FLY THE MISSION AND RETURN TO CMH. I HAD VISUALLY VERIFIED THAT THE FUELER HAD TOPPED THE TANKS PER MY REQUEST. I ALSO PERFORMED A VERY THOROUGH PREFLT INSPECTION OF THE ACFT. AS FAR AS FUEL PLANNING; WHEN FLYING THIS SPECIFIC ACFT AT LOW ALTS WITH PROPER LEANING; IT CAN USUALLY BE OPERATED FOR 3 HRS 50 MINS; WITH A 30 MIN VFR FUEL RESERVE. THIS IS THE ENDURANCE WINDOW THAT I WAS USING FOR MY FLT. WHILE I WAS NEARING CMH I WAS STARTING TO GET NEAR THE END OF THIS ENDURANCE WINDOW. I KNEW THAT I STILL HAD 1 MORE SITE TO SHOOT THAT WAS 2 MI SE OF THE FIELD. AT THIS TIME; ACCORDING TO MY FUEL PLANNING; I SHOULD HAVE HAD ABOUT 30 MINS OF FUEL LEFT BEFORE I GOT TO MY 30 MIN RESERVE. THE ONLY THING THAT WAS GETTING TO ME WAS THE FACT THAT THE FUEL GAUGES WERE GETTING VERY LOW. I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE; I RE-LEANED THE PLANE AND VERIFIED BOTH OF THE MAGS WERE FIRING WELL. I THOUGHT THROUGH EVERYTHING THAT I HAD BEEN TAUGHT ABOUT THE COMMON INACCURACY OF FUEL GAUGES IN ACFT. I TOOK INTO ACCOUNT MY RECENT EXPERIENCES IN ACFT THAT HAD 1-2 HRS OF FUEL ON BOARD EVEN THOUGH THE GAUGES INDICATED THAT THEY WERE COMPLETELY EMPTY. I ALSO CONSIDERED THAT EVEN IF SOMETHING WERE TO GO WRONG WHILE I WAS OVER THE SITE THAT I SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE A PWR OFF LNDG SO I DECIDED THAT I NEEDED TO TRUST MY FUEL PLANNING; AS THAT IS THE MOST ACCURATE MEANS OF KNOWING MY FUEL STATE. I MADE MY FIRST CIRCLE OF THE SITE AT 2500 FT MSL AND AS I CAME AROUND THE N SIDE OF THE TARGET MY ENG BEGAN TO SURGE. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED N TO ESTABLISH A BASE LEG FOR THE RWY. I WAS ALREADY ON WITH TWR DUE TO MY PROX TO THE FIELD; I TOLD THEM THAT I NEEDED TO LAND AND THAT I WAS HAVING FUEL TROUBLE. THE TWR CTLR CLRED ME TO LAND IMMEDIATELY; AND THEN SUBSEQUENTLY VOIDED THE CLRNC FOR AN AIRLINER THAT WAS ON A LONG FINAL FOR THE RWY. DUE TO THE FACT THAT RWY 28L WAS CLOSED AND HAD PEOPLE AND EQUIP ON IT; I HAD TO GO FOR THE N RWY (RWY 28R). THE WINDS WERE 220 DEGS AT 17 KTS GUSTING TO 21 KTS. THIS DID NOT HELP MY CAUSE; BUT IT DID APPEAR THAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE THE RWY; I FOOLISHLY ADDED 10 DEGS OF FLAPS. ON SHORT FINAL; I ROUNDED OUT OVER THE BLAST PAD. THE THRESHOLD LIGHTS WERE DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME AND MY INTENTION WAS TO AVOID HITTING THEM WITH MY LNDG GEAR. I COULD SEE THE MAIN GEAR ON MY L SO I AIMED IT IN BTWN 2 OF THE LIGHTS; AS I GOT CLOSE I TRIED TO BRING THE RIGHT SIDE UP WITH BANK TO CLR THE LIGHTS; BUT UNFORTUNATELY I HIT ONE OF THEM. I TOLD THE TWR OVER THE RADIO 'I THINK I TAGGED ONE OF YOUR REILS.' THE TWR SAID THEY WOULD CHK ON IT. DURING THIS BIT OF CONVERSATION; I MADE A CTLED LNDG ON THE RWY AND WAS ROLLING OUT. THE TWR ASKED IF I WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO COST CLR OF THE RWY AND I INFORMED HIM THAT I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO; BUT I WOULD LET HIM KNOW IF I COULDN'T MAKE IT. I DID MAKE IT ONTO THE FIRST AVAILABLE TXWY; THEN GOT OUT AND PUSHED IT CLR. GND SPOKE TO ME AND SAID THAT THEY WERE SENDING A TUG. AFTER THE TOW FUEL WAS ADDED TO THE PLANE AND AFTER MEETING WITH THE ARPT AUTH OVER THE BROKEN LIGHT; AND MEETING WITH 2 GENTLEMEN FROM THE COLUMBUS FSDO; AT THEIR REQUEST I STARTED THE PLANE. THIS MADE IT CLR THAT FUEL EXHAUSTION WAS CLRLY THE CULPRIT. AS PART OF AN ASSIGNMENT FROM MY EMPLOYER; I RAN THE NUMBERS AGAIN TO SEE WHY I RAN OUT OF FUEL 20 MINS BEFORE I WAS SUPPOSED TO REACH MY VFR RESERVE. THE DECIDING FACTOR WAS THAT I PLANNED WITH A PWR SETTING OF 2300 RPM BUT DUE TO THE WINDS I WAS ACTUALLY RUNNING A PWR SETTING 2400 RPM WITHOUT THINKING OF THE DIFFERENCE THAT THIS WOULD MAKE IN MY ENDURANCE NUMBERS; WHICH IS A 35 MIN DIFFERENCE PER THE MANUAL. I GAVE A PRESENTATION TO ALL OF THE OTHER PLTS AT MY PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT ON FUEL MGMNT AND THE DISCUSSION THAT IT PROMPTED WAS VERY EDUCATIONAL TO ALL OF US.