AN IFR PA28 PLT DIVERTED TO BLM WITH A SUSPECTED FUEL PROB. HE WAS UNABLE TO CONTACT NEW YORK APCH PRIOR TO DIVERTING.

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THE SITUATION AROSE BECAUSE OF AN APPARENT PROB WITH FUEL NOT BEING DRAWN FROM BOTH MAIN FUEL TANKS. THIS RESULTED IN A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG WHILE FLYING UNDER AN IFR FLT PLAN. I DID NOT DECLARE AN EMER; NOR DID I DECLARE AN URGENT SITUATION. I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT NEW YORK APCH CTL SEVERAL TIMES; BUT THE FREQ WAS EXPERIENCING ONE OF THOSE BUSY TIMES WHERE IT WAS MOSTLY THE CTLING ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS AND PLTS' TERSE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. FOR SOME REASON; PERHAPS BECAUSE OF HOW BUSY THE FREQ WAS; I DID NOT DECLARE AN EMER. ADDITIONALLY; I WAS NOT COMPLETELY CONVINCED IT WAS AN EMER BECAUSE I HAPPENED TO BE DIRECTLY OVER AN ARPT. NEVERTHELESS; I DID DEVIATE FROM MY IFR FLT PLAN WITHOUT A CLRNC. IN RETROSPECT; I SHOULD HAVE DECLARED AN EMER; OR; AT THE VERY LEAST; BROADCAST A 'PAN; PAN; PAN' URGENT REQUEST TO INFORM NEW YORK APCH OF MY INTENTIONS RATHER THAN JUST DEVIATE FROM MY FLT PLAN. HAVING SAID THAT; THE MANTRA OF 'AVIATE; NAV; COM' SEEMED APPROPRIATE AND I WAS BUSY TRYING TO LAND ASAP; SO AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS AT COMMUNICATING WITH ATC; I FOCUSED MY ATTN ON A RAPID DSCNT DOWN TO THE ARPT (BLM). ALTHOUGH I DID NOT ACTUALLY EXPERIENCE AN ENG OUT (I AM; HOWEVER; CONVINCED THAT IT SKIPPED A COUPLE OF TIMES BECAUSE OF A BRIEF INTERRUPTION IN FUEL FLOW); THE SITUATION SHOULD NEVER HAVE REACHED THAT STAGE. I HAD NOTICED EARLIER THAT THE FUEL GAUGES WERE SHOWING THE L TANK NEARLY EMPTY AND THE R TANK OVER 1/2 FULL. OF COURSE; GA FUEL GAUGES ARE NOTORIOUSLY INACCURATE; AND OURS IS NO EXCEPTION. HOWEVER; HAVING OWNED THE PLANE FOR 4 YRS; I KNOW THIS TO BE OUT OF THE ORDINARY. PART OF MY POOR DECISION MAKING WAS MY DISBELIEF THAT THERE REALLY WAS A FUEL PROB. I WAS OVER REPUBLIC ARPT (FRG) WHEN I REALLY BECAME AWARE OF THE PROB AND SHOULD HAVE MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG AT THAT POINT FOR 2 REASONS: FIRST; I WAS ABOUT TO FLY OVER BUSY JFK AIRSPACE AND DECLARING AN EMER THERE WOULD BE; AT THE VERY LEAST; QUITE AN INCONVENIENCE AT A MAJOR ARPT. SECOND; MY RTE AFTER JFK WAS S OVER WATER. IT IS NOT VERY FAR OVER WATER; BUT STILL; GIVEN MY CONCERNS; THIS SHOULD HAVE GIVEN MUCH MORE WT TO MY DECISIONS. INCREDIBLY; ALL THESE THOUGHTS DID OCCUR TO ME AT THE TIME; BUT MY UNWILLINGNESS TO BELIEVE THE SITUATION WAS BECOMING CRITICAL WON OUT. I KEEP PUSHING THE 'NEAREST' BUTTON ON THE GPS TO MAKE SURE I KNEW WHAT MY OPTIONS WERE. THIS BEHAVIOR ALONE SHOULD HAVE COMPELLED ME TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG. LESSON LEARNED I HOPE. ANOTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THAT THIS FLT WAS CHARITY MISSION WAS WHAT IS KNOWN AS A 'LINK' MISSION; MEANING THAT I WAS FLYING TO MEET ANOTHER PLT WHO WOULD FLY PAX TO THEIR FINAL DEST. I THINK URGE TO COMPLETE THE MISSION COUPLED WITH MY UNWILLINGNESS TO BELIEVE THERE WAS A PROB (IT WAS MY OWN PLANE AFTER ALL; AND IT HAD JUST COME OUT OF ANNUAL AND IS A PLANE I WAS VERY COMFORTABLE AND CONFIDENT ABOUT) WERE THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTING FACTORS. HAVING SAID THAT; I HAVE FLOWN DOZENS OF CHARITY MISSIONS LIKE THIS IN THE PAST; AND HAVE NOT ALLOWED THE URGE TO 'COMPLETE THE MISSION' TO CLOUD MY JUDGEMENT; ESPECIALLY WITH REGARD TO HAZARDOUS WX. I THINK MY UNWILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT THAT THERE WAS A MECHANICAL PROB WAS BY FAR THE LARGER OF THE 2 CONTRIBUTING FACTORS. ON THE PLUS SIDE; WAS THAT I DID MAKE A SAFE PRECAUTIONARY LNDG. AFTER REFUELING; IT TURNED OUT THAT I HAD BURNED 25 GALLONS ON THE L SIDE (30 TOTAL; 28 USABLE) AND ONLY 8 GALLONS FROM THE R SO THERE WAS SOMETHING GOING ON; ALTHOUGH I AM UNSURE WHETHER OR NOT THAT FUEL WOULD HAVE EVENTUALLY STARTED FLOWING FROM THE R TANK AGAIN. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE 'SKIPS' I HEARD WAS THE ENG BEING MOMENTARILY STARVED FOR FUEL AND THEN FUEL FROM THE R TANK BEGAN TO FLOW. NO REAL WAY OF KNOWING AT THIS POINT UNTIL A MECH TAKES A LOOK AT THE FUEL SYS.