Date: 201808
Local time of day: 1201-1800
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Flight conditions: VMC
Weather elements / visibility: Haze / Smoke
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: J3 Cub
Operator: Personal
Operating under: Part 91
Mission: Ferry / Re-Positioning
Flight phase: Initial Approach
Airspace: Class D ZZZ
ATC / advisory: Tower ZZZ
Reporter organization: Personal
Reporter function: Single Pilot
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Private
Human factors: Situational Awareness; Time Pressure; Training / Qualification
Anomaly: Airspace Violation All Types; Ground Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control; Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Landed As Precaution; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Contributing factors: Airport; Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors
Primary problem: Airport

Narrative: I was conducting a ferry flight. It was my first time flying the route myself and the airspace is particularly tricky. The problem occurred on approach. I had successfully and safely navigated all airspace until this point. The ATIS has stated that the field was closed due to firefighting operations in the airspace. I did not hear this part of the ATIS so I called the Tower and requested to land. Tower denied this request; so I remained outside of the airspace. I had not flown a Piper Cub very much since I got my endorsement about a year ago and this was my first time flying this specific Cub; which had a setup different than what I was used to. The airplane had a bit over six gallons of fuel when we departed and although I remembered that it burned about 4 gallons of fuel an hour I was not confident that we had enough fuel to turn around and return to the nearest airport. This was because I had not checked the time when we left so I was not sure how long we had been in the air and because I had trouble interpreting the Cub's fuel quantity indicator; a vertical unlabeled metal strip whose height is supposed to represent the fuel quantity. This being the case; at the time I felt that it would be unsafe to turn around so I called Tower again stating that we were low on fuel and needed to land. Tower granted us clearance after confirming that we were low on fuel. I then entered the airspace and landed however there was an 11 knot crosswind with gusts of 10 kts and unfortunately I spun out on the runway. I did not spin off the runway and I spun 360 degrees before coming to a stop. I then taxied off the runway to parking. The plane was undamaged and no one got hurt. I called Tower on the phone afterwards to discuss the situation. In hindsight I do believe that human factors were the cause of this incident. I did not know the airplane as well as I should have and it was my misperception of the fuel quantity indicator that caused me to think we could not divert when in fact we had 45 minutes of fuel on board. I also really wanted to get into ZZZ and this may have also clouded my judgment. I also spent some time circling outside of the airspace that I could have used more efficiently. Ultimately; I believe that to prevent future incidents like this I should ensure that I know the main important numbers on any aircraft I fly. I should also explicitly plan on having to divert and knowing with confidence that I have enough fuel to divert at any point during my flight. I should be sure that I know the drawbacks of certain elements on airplanes I fly and calculate the fuel I plan to use; even on short flights. Finally; I should listen more closely to the remarks section of the ATIS and listen again of I have trouble hearing it.




Synopsis: Piper Cub pilot reported landing at a closed airport because of low fuel.