The pilot reported that he calculated 30 gallons of fuel to complete the flight and then departed the airport with 36 gallons of fuel onboard the Piper PA-28-180.
A few minutes later he returned to the departure airport after he noticed that the door was not latched properly.
The subsequent departure and flight were uneventful until the pilot was approaching his destination and had been cleared to land at the airport in Farmington, New Mexico.
At this time, he observed the fuel tanks were between 0 and 10 gallons on each side.
He selected the left fuel tank as it appeared to have more fuel, but within one minute the engine lost power.
The pilot then notified air traffic control that he would not make the runway and landed in a dirt lot, which resulted in substantial damage to the right aileron and wings. The pilot sustained minor injuries in the crash.
He stated that the operator traveled to the site and observed about 4 gallons in the right fuel tank and no fuel in the left tank.
The pilot further reported that the accident was the result of fuel starvation, inaccuracy of the fuel gauges, and improper fuel planning.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s inadequate fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
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This November 2021 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Better to ‘tanker’ fuel than to worry about a little more weight especially when single pilot. I knew a pilot that ran out of fuel on the runway twice because he wanted to fuel up at the airport with cheaper fuel. Why gamble with your life?
Over 30 years of flying without any accidents or incidents. Fly long cross country trips for work and leisure. One thing I learned early on my flying career is to calculate the weight of passengers and cargo as accurate as possible and then add all the remaining weight to gross weight with fuel. Then calculate what that amount of fuel will allow me to fly minus an hour, and THEN see (and plan) for an intermediate fuel stop if needed.
That routine has served me well so far. With my airplane I know when flying with my wife and carrying up to 75 lb of bags, I can carry a full fuel and I ALWAYS do regardless of how far I’m flying that day.
Don and I NEVER took off on a cross-country flight with less than FULL fuel on board. NEVER ran out of fuel. We had two less than 179-pound pilots aboard, an advantage when considering baggage.
I always felt BETTER when my tanks were full at the beginning of a cross-country flight, even in the Aeronca Champ N3692E (Stlll flying in Alabama) I flew when learning to fly.
I never came close to running out of fuel. Just never took a chance. Always took off on a cross-country flight with FULL tanks whenever possible.
Ann Holtgren Pellegreno
Yet the same person driving from x to z will check the fuel in his car before leaving.
And while there’s ongoing comments about analog gauges, they are repeatedly accurate for decades once you know it’s reading…just like all cars. Try using a clock…works well.
Autos use a precision 5 volt reference for the fuel gauge system, and the gauge display is heavily damped…no needle ‘wavering’.!
Most aircraft use the 12-14 volt buss to operate the fuel gauge, so a voltage variation will show up as a change in the needle position.
Also, aircraft fuel gauges have no electrical damping, like a capacitor/ resistor combination, to smooth the fuel sloshing in the tank and the continuous float/transmitter movement.
so the gauge needle is wavering up to 1/4 tank display…
I agree that using flight time is a much better way to determine fuel used, assuming that the pilot knows the fuel gph vs power setting.?
I have a ‘wind up’ mechanical clock in my old Cessna. So, I set it at 12noon on engine start, and a glance at it shows my flight time [ 3pm is 3 hrs ]
[ it will continue to display flight time if the electrical system fails.!]
My analogs don’t wander around on any of the numerous planes I’ve had.
And by the way, many auto systems are 3 volt and use a quite simple constant voltage regulator.
Over an over this running out of fuel. I always fill it up. Learned that lesson early in my flight training! No one knows what will happen during the flight…Be prepared for extenuating circumstances!!
I agree that fuel management isn’t something that is emphasized in primary training. Except for trainers that can’t be flown with full fuel with both the instructor and the student, most student flights begin with full fuel. It’s not until after receiving their certificates and they begin to actually use them to go places that fuel management becomes a factor, and that’s largely self-taught. So it’s not surprising that low time pilots will mismanage their fuel supplies. What is a shame here is that there was fuel aboard, so that if the pilot had only switched to the other tank and restarted the engine, he had enough fuel to complete the flight.
I have many fond memories in N9467J when our family was its caretaker in the 90s. So sad to see this was its end.
Pilots new to an aircraft should take off with full tanks, climb to altitude and fly for one hour on one tank. Land, refuel, and then know first hour burn with taxie, takeoff, climb, cruise and approach and landing. Next, get to cruise altitude and then feed from an unused, topped tank. That is your enroute fuel burn (under those conditions). THEN add a safety margin: 45 minutes to an hour of fuel. Always pay attention to who fuels your aircraft. I recently ran to the bathroom after the first leg of a two leg trip and didn’t watch the refueling. I questioned the lineman and he insisted that my plane was full. The fuel loaded onto my aircraft seemed a bit less. When I landed and refueled myself after the second leg, I discovered I landed with 25-30 minutes left to dry tanks. Way too shy of my plan to always land with at least 1 hour of cruising fuel burn onboard. The fault was 100% with me for not being present for the “top off.”
I hope this will be useful to folks flying new-to-them aircraft. Just because you have experience in one aircraft, even an “identical” sister ship will use fuel a bit differently. Going from your 172 to an A36, watch out. Do the drill as above before putting family and friend aboard for that cross country! Ignore the POH. They are written from test pilots flying brand new planes. Get your own data and use it. Record time on tanks. Land short if headwinds or weather threaten your trip. Fly smart – fly safe.
David (ATP, CFI)
Even though I stand there watching the lineman fuel the 172, I always climb up to See the fuel level for myself, Dip the tanks for a measurement and Make Sure the cap is secured properly. Of course, if you’re fueling a Cherokee, you can dispense with the climb.
Some people end their training when they get their certificate with the exception for flight reviews. Others try to learn all they can and read, watch webinars, attend seminars and seek added ratings in a quest for mastery.
The bell curve exists.
Don’t see why he needed to land to properly close the door, it’s an easy procedure to perform while flying, even single pilot. Past owner of a Cherokee 180.
Two things he should have done immediately before anything else when the engine quit; change fuel tank and turn towards emergency landing area. (Also assure that fuel pump is on) Assuming he did this quick enough (with sufficient altitude) and the prop was still turning (windmilling) it would have restarted, if not, time permitting, try a restart. Also, carb heat on if there’s a chance for carb ice. 4 gallons is not much but still enough to land at the destination. There is no analysis here of the quality of emergency procedure training this pilot recieved while training for his pilot license. But it is possible if he had received more training on engine out procedures this accident would not have happened.
Why not fuel the full 50 gallons capacity ?
The 30 gallons would have been more than enough for the 300 sm flight. At a 140 mph, 75% power, the 2.1 hr flight would have used about 21 gal.
BUT, the 45 minute return to latch the door used about 8 gal..! He should have added fuel during that return stop.
Still, the 29-30 gallons should have been ok…Maybe insufficient leaning, or a ‘scenic detour ‘ , burning additional fuel ?
I’ve noted that flight training doesn’t adequately stress fuel management and calculating fuel use.
It’s disheartening to see this kind of mishap knowing how preventable it was.
What I see often in GA and it’s evident in the flying club I once belonged to, are pilots who either have been poorly trained or don’t follow and execute sound and proven practices and procedures.
I own and fly a Piper PA-28 180 Archer and I always open the fuel cells to check the level, and if not full, I dip the tank. As most know, the fuel gages are not always accurate especially if you’re managing fuel precisely to a specific flight plan.
I hope the lessons learned by the pilot of this mishap will be learned by others who perhaps need training in this area.
Mark Denari
ATP / Naval Aviator (ret)
“fuel gages are not always accurate”, I think a Better statement would be “Fuel gages are never accurate”
Fuel gauges give an approximate indication of fuel quantity, but with no damping, the floats and needles bounce a lot from the fuel sloshing.!
They are required to be accurate at the ‘E’ indication, that there is no usable fuel remaining.
If the gauge needle is bouncing on empty, that will soon be no usable fuel in that tank.!
Why not just top off the fuel tanks before departing. I don’t get it. Solo pilot, no passengers. No issue with takeoff weight. Avoidable.
It was fuel exhaustion, caused by improper fuel management. Fuel starvation occurs when there is a blockage of fuel to the engine and fuel cannot get to the engine, fuel contamination for example.