Why do pilots run out of fuel?

Meh, that wasn't exactly some dude running out of go juice on a 50nm burger run.
 
Flymeariver said:
Go back and search the forum for the other two threads on this....it was a malfunctioning system that didn't move his fuel over :).
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Oh,

This was my first time noticing this article and I didn't see any posts on it. The article said "Ran out of fuel" but I should've known the media doesn't know $#IT!
 
FloridaPilot said:
Oh,

This was my first time noticing this article and I didn't see any posts on it. The article said "Ran out of fuel" but I should've known the media doesn't know $#IT!
Click to expand...

Well he did run out of fuel but..I would say not by his fault lol
 
It is still a good question. It is a question that needs to be asked.
"Why do pilots run out of fuel?" It happens and I don't understand how.

I read the "Pilots are smart" thread.
We need a "Pilots are in a hurry" thread.
 
The same reason people run out of gas in their car. But this wasn't fuel exhaustion. This was a fuel system malfunction.
 
Although this wasn't an example of it, people do still seem to run out of gas for no good reason on a regular basis though. I bet it mostly comes down to "yeah, I bet I can make it, that should be enough." Just cutting it too close and leaving no margin for the unexpected.

I was out today just tooling around the local area, and I'd been up for 30 minutes or so before I noticed that my fuel flow meter was telling me 14gph instead of the 12 I usually expect -- I just hadn't leaned very carefully, but if I were the sort to cut things close (and especially if I didn't have a fuel flow meter, or look at it) that could easily make the difference.

I plan for an hour reserve, always, because sooner or later something will happen and you'll use it. I'd rather the result be landing with 20 minutes of gas rather than landing in a field. :)
 
Most definitely is a great question. Wasn't trying to screw with the OP, just didn't know if he saw the other threads with bit more info.

Now back to the question: it sure is strange how it happens frequently. Hell I have seen guys flying over to buy cheap fuel from me...which is great...but if your total capacity is 56 gal and I give you 50....ummmm lil close
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
It is still a good question. It is a question that needs to be asked.
"Why do pilots run out of fuel?" It happens and I don't understand how.
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Several ways to run out of fuel:

depart with inadequate reserves (trusted fuel gauge, mis-read the stick, pilot failed to check tanks visually, etc.)

either encounter headwinds greater than forecast and didn't watch the clock or failed to plan for forecast headwinds (this one is a bit surprising but it does take a few trips to learn about fuel limits after all our training within spitting distance of an airport)

divert or go missed without checking for adequate reserves

mechanical failure - can be valve, pump, or vent

It's easy to be distracted while flying. Pax are prolly the worst distraction because they demand attention. Working another problem is also a major distraction. And then there is fatigue...

On top of all this, remember that the higher performance aircraft are burning fuel at some pretty high rates compared to the good ole 172 which means there is less margin for error. Gotta keep yer head in the game and the head needs the training and experience to get it right. Most of us got the training but keeping it current is tough.
 
Why do pilots run out of fuel or sometimes not as the case may be ! Strange phenomenon fuel and what we believe...or I should say choose to believe. .....I took off yesterday and on climb out the low fuel light started to flash, 20 minutes earlier I had topped off both tanks so I knew I had fuel and what I was looking at was probably no more than a fuel sender issue common on a 172, but I simply could not accept the obvious, I called ATC and said I'm returning for landing due to low fuel warning light ...and got immediate clearance for landing.

I should add, it was the first time I had flown since a friend of mine perished in the crash at Lakeland last week.
I had knots in my stomach as I took the drive to the airport but once there and doing my preflight I put those feelings aside and thought I was ready to fly but subconsciously it would seem I wasn't ! .....I was very relieved to be back on the ground...
I was going to fly today but the high winds and gusts in central Florida today made me decide not to go, I didn't need to be anywhere anytime soon. I'm going to try again tomorrow hopefully I can put this feeling behind me.

Sorry nothing to do with the OP's question, but I just needed to unload and share this with you.
 
Flymeariver said:
Well he did run out of fuel...
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No, he didn't "run out of fuel". He just wasn't able to get all the fuel in the plane to the engine. There was plenty in the plane's wing tanks when it went into the drink. And now you know why ferry pilots get the big bucks, and why insurance to cover ferry flights ain't cheap.
 
This is where the distinction between fuel starvation and fuel exhaustion is important. Unfortunately, this Cirrus pilot faced some sort of fuel starvation issue.
 
Clark1961 said:
Several ways to run out of fuel:

depart with inadequate reserves (trusted fuel gauge, mis-read the stick, pilot failed to check tanks visually, etc.)

either encounter headwinds greater than forecast and didn't watch the clock or failed to plan for forecast headwinds (this one is a bit surprising but it does take a few trips to learn about fuel limits after all our training within spitting distance of an airport)

divert or go missed without checking for adequate reserves

mechanical failure - can be valve, pump, or vent

It's easy to be distracted while flying. Pax are prolly the worst distraction because they demand attention. Working another problem is also a major distraction. And then there is fatigue...

On top of all this, remember that the higher performance aircraft are burning fuel at some pretty high rates compared to the good ole 172 which means there is less margin for error. Gotta keep yer head in the game and the head needs the training and experience to get it right. Most of us got the training but keeping it current is tough.
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Then there was the guy who lit a north bay hillside on fire with his PA28 over the summer in a fuel exhaustion accident. Yep, you heard that right. Took off from the Oregon coast at night and flew over coastal fog and hostile terrain for some 2.5 hours, never switched tanks, and ran one dry right on schedule. Couldn't figure it out, either. That one makes no sense at all to me.
 
Sometimes it's as simple as not flying the plan.

At the school where I did most of my PPL, a student ran his Skyhawk out of gas on his solo 160nm XC- planned everything OK, weather was good, but never looked at the guess gauge or filled the tanks, ended up running the tanks dry 5 miles from home.

How anybody could do this still boggles my mind, but he did.:dunno:
 
A little over a year ago, a 172 from AZ set down in a field near my airport. It was a pilot and his gf flying to Indianapolis for a class reunion. He hit stronger headwinds than expected and ran out of fuel. Thankfully nobody was hurt and the plane only had cosmetic damage.

What baffled me was that the pilot was a CFI. You teach students this stuff all the time, flight planning, checkpoints, fuel burn, etc... how could you misjudge so badly? I think the airport he was shooting for refueling at was at least another 15 minutes away. So if he was VFR, that means he was at least 45 minutes behind schedule if he planned for the correct reserve. I don't know if I could go back and face any of my students after that if I were him.
 
When I started training a Bo went down on a local freeway at night killing the CFI pilots (their girlfriends in the back survived). Didn't buy enough gas to make it back because they didn't have enough cash, or at least that was the story.

Another guy went down in his Archer on another freeway, he walked away (though the aircraft didn't fare so well)). He swore up and down he put enough gas in the thing.

Fuel systems can be complex and can break. Headwinds can be greater than expected. People can miscalculate. People can be really stupid.
 
Fredbob711 said:
A little over a year ago, a 172 from AZ set down in a field near my airport. It was a pilot and his gf flying to Indianapolis for a class reunion. He hit stronger headwinds than expected and ran out of fuel. Thankfully nobody was hurt and the plane only had cosmetic damage.

What baffled me was that the pilot was a CFI. You teach students this stuff all the time, flight planning, checkpoints, fuel burn, etc... how could you misjudge so badly? I think the airport he was shooting for refueling at was at least another 15 minutes away. So if he was VFR, that means he was at least 45 minutes behind schedule if he planned for the correct reserve. I don't know if I could go back and face any of my students after that if I were him.
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What I learned from these posts is to plan where you want to go. But be flexible just in case the weather or circumstances turns south. Isn't part of the planning process is to have alternative airports just in case you are not able to make it to your destination airport?
 
Last two run out of fuel incidents around here were a NASA flight surgeon and a CFI both crashed within a couple of miles of each other and both within 5 miles of an airport...with one bone dry on departure from that airport...:dunno:
 
I'm paranoid about running out of gas. In anything. Even my lawn mower. My personal minimums are well over required VFR and IFR reserves. The only time I've ever ran out of gas in a vehicle is when the fuel gauge in my BWM motorcycle decided to fail, indicating a quarter tank. I always set the trip odometer in motorcycles when I fuel up but these bikes are quirky in that they will randomly display something other than the last odometer selected, and I forgot to switch the display back to the right trip odometer. Ran out of gas. WTF a quarter tank left? Looked at the trip odometer. Sure enough.
 
I would offer that it's been my most recent experience (with three different pilots) that they are so fixated on the range listed in the POH vs. the endurance listed in the same. In that case, an unexpected or unplanned for headwind can bite you. I rarely get anywhere close to the published endurance of my aircraft. I can't remember if I already relayed this story on this forum or not, but here's a great example:

7a9b9b52-4756-4ce3-bc4a-5626decf4902.jpg


Two tanks on this particular aircraft, both with this sticker. Note the usable fuel. I pumped 73.6 gallons into this aircraft at the completion of a 3+ hour flight to our airport (we were the destination, not an alternate). I don't recall if it was a VFR or IFR flight, but still, there is absolutely no reserve present. When I told the pilot of the aircraft how much fuel he took, he didn't even seem phased. That's just a little too close for comfort for me.
 
I once almost ran out of gas...when I filled up, I basically put in the amount that was the usable fuel for the aircraft.

It was a stack-up of unusual events. Flew to a fly-in with two other airplanes. When we were ready to leave, the line to the gas pumps was so long we skipped it and left. Landed at an intermediate private field on the way back to view some property. One of our party had an engine go rough on takeoff and aborted. The first plane off didn't see it happened, and kept going. I went back, landed, and killed a couple of hours trying to help figure out what was wrong.

Heading home, it was evening (this was on a weekend). I wanted gas; there were two airports on the way but it was so late I figured the FBOs would be closed. I was NORDO, so couldn't call and ask if they were open. Dropping in to check would waste even more gas.

There's a kind of self-hypnosis that happens in this kind of situation. The engine has its usual smooth drone, like it'll go on forever. It's hard to imagine that it ever will stop.

There was one more airport on the way...but it was a controlled field, and I didn't have a radio. Made it home, but put 14 gallons into a nominal 16 gallon tank.

I, too, had been one of those idiots who had said, "I'll NEVER run the airplane out of gas." I know different, and this has given me some armor against it happening again.

Anytime I think of pushing fuel, I remember that hollow-stomached feeling watching the top of the fuel-tank-gauge wire bouncing against the top of the tank...and then watching it ground solidly with no movement.

Go ahead and thrash me, folks...you won't say nothing I haven't said to myself in the 25 years since this happened.

Ron Wanttaja
 
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wanttaja said:
I once almost ran out of gas...when I filled up, I basically put in the amount that was the usable fuel for the aircraft.

It was a stack-up of unusual events. Flew to a fly-in with two other airplanes. When we were ready to leave, the line to the gas pumps was so long we skipped it and left. Landed at an intermediate private field on the way back to view some property. One of our party had an engine go rough on takeoff and aborted. The first plane off didn't see it happened, and kept going. I went back, landed, and killed a couple of hours trying to help figure out what was wrong.

Heading home, it was evening (this was on a weekend). I wanted gas; there were two airports on the way but it was so late I figured the FBOs would be closed. I was NORDO, so couldn't call and ask if they were open. Dropping in to check would waste even more gas.

There's a kind of self-hypnosis that happens in this kind of situation. The engine has its usually smooth drone, like it'll go on forever. It's hard to imagine that it ever will stop.

There was one more airport on the way...but it was a controlled field, and I didn't have a radio. Made it home, but put 14 gallons into a nominal 16 gallon tank.

I, too, had been one of those idiots who had said, "I'll NEVER run the airplane out of gas." I know different, and this has given me some armor against it happening again.

Anytime I think of pushing fuel, I remember that hollow-stomached feeling watching the top of the fuel-tank-gauge wire bouncing against the top of the tank...and then watching it ground solidly with no movement.

Go ahead and thrash me, folks...you won't say nothing I haven't said to myself in the 25 years since this happened.

Ron Wanttaja
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I've run out of gas twice, in the same day. It takes a real idiot to do that! :mad2:

I was flying an ultralight and the engine started to sputter. I landed in a horse pasture and looked for any trouble. I saw fuel in the tank so I didn't think that was it. Took off and the engine quit again after 15 mins. and I landed in a soybean field. As I flew the fuel ran from one tank to another, then into the outboard side of the tank. I learn about "useable fuel" that day. :redface:
 
wanttaja said:
I once almost ran out of gas...when I filled up, I basically put in the amount that was the usable fuel for the aircraft.

It was a stack-up of unusual events. Flew to a fly-in with two other airplanes. When we were ready to leave, the line to the gas pumps was so long we skipped it and left. Landed at an intermediate private field on the way back to view some property. One of our party had an engine go rough on takeoff and aborted. The first plane off didn't see it happened, and kept going. I went back, landed, and killed a couple of hours trying to help figure out what was wrong.

Heading home, it was evening (this was on a weekend). I wanted gas; there were two airports on the way but it was so late I figured the FBOs would be closed. I was NORDO, so couldn't call and ask if they were open. Dropping in to check would waste even more gas.

There's a kind of self-hypnosis that happens in this kind of situation. The engine has its usually smooth drone, like it'll go on forever. It's hard to imagine that it ever will stop.

There was one more airport on the way...but it was a controlled field, and I didn't have a radio. Made it home, but put 14 gallons into a nominal 16 gallon tank.

I, too, had been one of those idiots who had said, "I'll NEVER run the airplane out of gas." I know different, and this has given me some armor against it happening again.

Anytime I think of pushing fuel, I remember that hollow-stomached feeling watching the top of the fuel-tank-gauge wire bouncing against the top of the tank...and then watching it ground solidly with no movement.

Go ahead and thrash me, folks...you won't say nothing I haven't said to myself in the 25 years since this happened.

Ron Wanttaja
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I suppose there are some on here who are 'without sin' enough to cast the first stone, Ron. Probably fewer instead of more, though...

I remember a trip back to the Des Moines area from OSH in a Clipper back many years....used every bit the of the fuel on-board, and flew right over an airport 30 minutes out. Your self-hypnosis analysis is right on the mark!

Jim
 
wanttaja said:
... Landed at an intermediate private field on the way back to view some property. One of our party had an engine go rough on takeoff and aborted. The first plane off didn't see it happened, and kept going. I went back, landed, and killed a couple of hours trying to help figure out what was wrong.
Click to expand...

A bit of detail that I forgot to mention: This airport was on an island about a mile and a half across. It was just a runway, no services, no homes nearby. The guy who had property there was the one who'd taken off first and was long gone. No commercial operations of *any* kind on the island...no gas stores, no groceries.

No ferry service, either. Residents have to either boat or fly their own goods to the island. My friend had to hire a barge to haul his plane back to the mainland....

Ron Wanttaja
 
Jim Rosenow said:
I suppose there are some on here who are 'without sin' enough to cast the first stone, Ron. Probably fewer instead of more, though...

I remember a trip back to the Des Moines area from OSH in a Clipper back many years....used every bit the of the fuel on-board, and flew right over an airport 30 minutes out. Your self-hypnosis analysis is right on the mark!

Jim
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I know we ALL make mistakes, I get it. What I don't get is if your instruments are working and you planned your flight properly and there is a gauge saying your at half a tank or on reserves, why would you not try to find a place to land? If you hit a headwind and it's slowing your plane down why would you think you can still make it to your destination?

I know I am a rookie and there are plenty of things I still need to understand but running out of fuel is totally avoidable.

When I drive a car I always fill up at a half or a little lower. My warning sign is half a tank...time to find a place to fill up and that half will be used to find a gas station. I'm sure that habit will be transferred over to flying which as we all know can be very unforgiving.
 
Flymeariver said:
Go back and search the forum for the other two threads on this....it was a malfunctioning system that didn't move his fuel over :).
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I tried...couldn't find them. Maybe the search function on this site is poor.
 
Is it possible (referring to the Cirrus that crashed) that there was pilot error - perhaps even sinister and on purpose? How does a one way valve that is open not work?

The pilot (in the video footage from Hawaii) seemed a little smug to me.

The whole thing makes we want a Cirrus though - how cool are those parachutes?
 
FloridaPilot said:
What I learned from these posts is to plan where you want to go. But be flexible just in case the weather or circumstances turns south. Isn't part of the planning process is to have alternative airports just in case you are not able to make it to your destination airport?
Click to expand...

I'm not gonna claim to be all high and mighty and experienced, but I am paranoid about fuel. It's something completely within our control, yet so many fail to control it. When I did my flight planning to bring my plane home from Texas I planned for one stop in New Mexico, which should have been about 200 miles within the range of the plane. I knew there was a good chance for headwinds however so I also made a list of other airports along the way along with runway lengths, TPA, and FBO information. I dont want to land anywhere but a runway. Hearing about guys who land with no fuel, or who come up short when they had closer options just makes me that much more paranoid.
 
I've never come close to running out - ever. I fly a lot and am acutely aware of my area and where to get it at self serve in my area and beyond. If you flight plan keeping track of where the self serve is at along the route, things will be easy.

Flew a July 4th trip that EVERY FBO was closed along the route it seemed. I wasn't worried (El Paso to California) as I knew I'd be near half tanks in AZ and that both Marana and Casa Grande had self server and were available to refuel to max.

Eastbound El Paso to Austin is a bit tougher. I've heard a lot of fuel exhaustion stories for AC between Van Horn and El Paso. Option if running low in that area is Pecos TX **OR** land Van Horn anyway (which by sectional indicates it doesn't have gas), go behind the FBO building and the Game Warden and Sheriff live there. They can give you access to a fuel pump that most don't know is available. Not sure why that field doesn't want to advertise that they can refuel when necessary.
 
BGF_Yankee said:
I would offer that it's been my most recent experience (with three different pilots) that they are so fixated on the range listed in the POH vs. the endurance listed in the same. In that case, an unexpected or unplanned for headwind can bite you. I rarely get anywhere close to the published endurance of my aircraft. I can't remember if I already relayed this story on this forum or not, but here's a great example:

7a9b9b52-4756-4ce3-bc4a-5626decf4902.jpg


Two tanks on this particular aircraft, both with this sticker. Note the usable fuel. I pumped 73.6 gallons into this aircraft at the completion of a 3+ hour flight to our airport (we were the destination, not an alternate). I don't recall if it was a VFR or IFR flight, but still, there is absolutely no reserve present. When I told the pilot of the aircraft how much fuel he took, he didn't even seem phased. That's just a little too close for comfort for me.
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I was in Alpine at the self-serve pumps not long ago waiting on a 172 ahead of me to finish fueling, he had an R model with the long range tanks (26.5 per side) and pumped 51.2 total.... way too close for comfort...
 
Slackyhacky said:
Is it possible (referring to the Cirrus that crashed) that there was pilot error - perhaps even sinister and on purpose? How does a one way valve that is open not work?
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This plane at the least had its normal "L/R/OFF", plus whatever valves and/or pumps required to move the fuel from what look like at least two cabin mounted tanks. Failure of any one of those valves and/or pumps could leave the plane with fuel in a tank that cannot be accessed.

I can imagine lots of failure modes that a seated pilot would have difficulty dealing with in flight. One might also have to deal with balancing fuel L/R and factor in the excess fuel that gets returned to the selected wing tank as the ferry tanks get used. In any case, it's far from the simple "one way valve" you picture.

Maybe someone with experience ferrying Cirruses could give us an idea how this one might have been plumbed.
 
Why do they run out of fuel?

Something breaks (rarely)
They are wrong about fuel computations.
They assume a reserve that was never there.
They take off when they don't have enough fuel.
They fail to access fuel they do have.
They get themselves into situations where they're marginal on fuel and have no outs.

Did I miss something?
 
FloridaPilot said:
I know we ALL make mistakes, I get it. What I don't get is if your instruments are working and you planned your flight properly and there is a gauge saying your at half a tank or on reserves, why would you not try to find a place to land?
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As long as you give it thought at a time when you can do something about it, you are ok. But there is a lot that takes up your attention, and I can see how one might forget until they are reminded by the engine cutting out.

It doesn't make sense to stop and refuel every plane on every trip just because you get to half a tank.
 
bflynn said:
Why do they run out of fuel?

Something breaks (rarely)
They are wrong about fuel computations.
They assume a reserve that was never there.
They take off when they don't have enough fuel.
They fail to access fuel they do have.
They get themselves into situations where they're marginal on fuel and have no outs.

Did I miss something?
Click to expand...

Forgot to lean the mixture at altitude.
 
Far be it for me to claim perfection. Massive paranoia and not enough money to replace the plane have held hands and protected me from my own stupidity so far (don't give up on me guys:D)
I consider the last hour of fuel in the tanks as contaminated from never having been burned off in the decades I have flown the old wreck and is unfit to enter the carbs.
Flight distance is by my watch - not distance. The distance to some particular airport has nothing to do with it. Bingo time is bingo fuel and we land. Did that 20 minutes from my home field one night. The guy with me was foaming at the mouth mad because he would now be 20 minutes late.
Some people do not have the mind set to survive flying. Luckily he ran out of fuel a couple of times with only minor damage and the wife put an end to his flying before Murphy did. Heard later he had to be towed back to land more than once in his yacht (shrug) after taking up boating.
 
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