According to the pilot, while enroute on a cross country flight the Cessna 177’s engine began to “sputter” before experiencing a total loss of power.
The pilot declared an emergency and performed a forced landing on a dirt road near Landrum, S.C., resulting in substantial damage to the engine firewall.
The pilot reported that his fuel calculation requirements for the flight were incorrect, and as a result of his miscalculation, the airplane ran out of fuel.
The NTSB determined the probable cause as the pilot’s improper preflight planning, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
NTSB Identification: ERA15CA048
This November 2014 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.
Man, why cut it close? Why take off with 1/2 tank and figure you will fill it up at the airport? Like the other poster said, what if the destination airport is closed? What if the weather takes a turn for the worse, the weather report was wrong, and you have to go around weather? As I learned long ago, watching my John King training videos, he said something that all pilots should realize, and never forget, “Always leave yourself an out”.
I’ve flown a C77R, not a C177.
I don’t get it. How you can fly the plane and never look at a fuel gauge? My looking at fuel gauges has saved my butt more than once. When they are showing a fuel burn rate that you don’t agree with (say 1/2 tanks at x location), you have a problem. Is it electrical? Are the gauges working correctly?
Land and check it. So you lose 30 minutes. Better than bending metal, or worse. And if you know you took off with only 2.5 hours in the tanks, then at 1.75 hours, better look for a refueling point — what are you going to do when you get to the airport you intended to land at and the field is closed because of a crash or disabled aircraft on the runway?
Again, an accident doesn’t happen until touchdown. The Pilot screwed up so was forced to make an emergency landing. There is no indication in the report that he actually landed where he intended. 75% of emergency landing do not touchdown close to the selected touchdown area. Until accident reports consider the actual landing and we teach idle-power spot landings there will be very little improvement. An emergency landing with no damage or anyone hurt is not even considered an accident and many likely never reported.
Whats the big surprise folks, Its the same people that drive cars that fly airplanes, the ones that speed, drive while drinking, disobey street signs, and pretty much do what the heck they want regardless of the facts. These are the same fools that run out of fuel. The only bad thing you can say about all of this is that eventually they are going to kill some one. Terribly irresponsible killers !!! sorry not intended to offend anyone.
My Cessna R182 has 80 gallons of fuel (75 gallons usable). At my planned 15 gph that’s 5 hours of flight time until running out of fuel. I never push a flight beyond 3.5 hours. Can I fly longer since I really get 12 to 13 gph? Yes. Do I want to risk it? No chance.
Second thought, landing on a dirt road for an emergency beyond good piloting?? Causing a firewall damage
The relevant part of the aviation regulations is as follows:
§ 23.1337 Powerplant instruments installation.
Fuel quantity indication. There must be a means to indicate to the flightcrew members the quantity of usable fuel in each tank during flight. An indicator calibrated in appropriate units and clearly marked to indicate those units must be used. In addition: [] Each fuel quantity indicator must be calibrated to read “zero” during level flight when the quantity of fuel remaining in the tank is equal to the unusable fuel supply. .
Doesn’t matter if they work or not if you don’t look at them once in a while.
I will never understand how this repeatedly happens in GA. There’s a requirement that for every airplane to be airworthy it must have a functioning fuel gauge. And when it gets down near 1/4 quantity remaining there should be an airport within close proximity. Forget about fuel calculation. How ’bout fuel quantity monitoring by sight. If the fuel gauge is unreliable then fix the damn thing and make it reliable and use it to determine when it’s time to land. Do the same people who drive airplanes when departing on a trip by car do a fuel calculation according to previous gas mileage performance and use that to monitor their fuel progress? No, they use the *&$%#@ fuel gauge and pull into a gas station accordingly. Why in the name of common sense do they not do that when driving an airplane? Stupid is as stupid does.
It concerns me that time after time after time, pilots, for whatever excuse, run out of fuel. This has to make me question, could I someday be guilty of the same thing? Having adequate fuel appears to me to be such a simple phenomenon, but perhaps it isn’t? Am I missing something here?
Yes, you could be another example of running out of fuel if you don’t make the check a absolute no exception priority. Any pilot should know that aircraft highways (airways) have no hard surface to rely on in case of engine failure.
My rule is never take to the air without topped off tanks. Even if I plan to stay in the pattern and practice touch and go’s. Who knows, there could be a crash closing the airport and requiring me to fly to some distant airport to land. In addition, less chance for water condensation with topped off tanks. I’m sure the FBO gets irritated at times when they come down and put in ten gallons but that’s their problem.