This is an excerpt from a report made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System. The narrative is written by the pilot, rather than FAA or NTSB officials. To maintain anonymity, many details, such as aircraft model or airport, are often scrubbed from the reports.
I ran my RV-12 out of fuel.
I had thought I had enough fuel on board to more than cover my minimum fuel requirements to complete the flight.
The engine sputtered, fuel pressure dropped, the prop stopped. I turned towards the closest airport and trimmed for best glide speed. I announced on 121.5, realized that I needed to be speaking on the field’s CTAF, and switched to that. Other pilots were relaying to an ATC facility. I was able to make the field and make an otherwise uneventful landing on Runway XX.
The airport manager met me with fuel, the engine started without further issue.
The airport manager had spoken with someone at an ATC facility and he relayed to them I was fine, the plane was fine. There was no number given to him for me to call.
I filled the plane with fuel and took a long walk before continuing my flights.
This is a relatively new aircraft with three different fuel gauges and it has a very low burn rate.
I have come to not trust two of the gauges. The fuel calculator is what I was relying on.
My own inputs into fuel calculator have been the problem. The tank is labeled as 20 gallons, but you can put more into the tank than that or less to keep it lighter. You can fill the tank and add this value to the calculator, or you can reset the calculator and put in the value you “know” to be in there.
I reset the calculator today, but often I have just added to the calculator what I just pumped.
Before today, the last time I reset the calculator was likely 50 hours of flying ago — maybe as many as 15 to 20 different fuel fill situations.
I think I should go from a reset calculator more often or every time I fill up.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 1898662
I fly by the bladder method. Meaning, 2-3 hours of flying, then a bathroom break and a refueling event. It has never failed me in over 20 years of flying.
I am a former airline guy with lots of hours and several type and instructor ratings, but EVERY pilot, regardless of experience level, should know that there are ALWAYS variances in fuel flows with various power settings and configurations in varying air densities, as well as inaccuracies in fuel pump dispensing readings, and potential small errors even with the best fuel totalizers.
With that in mind, simply adding or subtracting from prior numbers in a fuel totalizer over the course of 50 flight hours and “15 to 20 different fuel fill situations” was, in my opinion, definitely an accident looking for a place to happen. All of those potential inaccuracies just continue to add up if you don’t start your flight with a KNOWN quantity of fuel. The only real question was WHEN it would happen, NOT IF it would happen.
We have an outstanding and very accurate fuel totalizer in our GA aircraft, but I NEVER “trust” it except during each individual flight after I have physically checked the fuel quantity (as in, with the “float” type or “straw” type device) during each and every preflight inspection, and after each and every refueling. Even then, I have “trust” in quotes because I still both plan my fuel usage in advance and monitor it during flight, ALWAYS planning to land with AT LEAST an hour of reserve fuel, no matter what. If there is ever the slightest concern about fuel, I land and get more… it’s really just that simple if you want to be as safe as reasonably possible.
Fuel issues like in this report (generally fuel mismanagement of some type) are among the top causes of GA accidents. When you add in the various loss of control off-airport accident scenarios that may occur due to the resultant engine-out forced landings, it may actually be the #1 cause of GA accidents and incidents overall.
I’m SO GLAD that the reporter survived and that both he/she and or his/her aircraft were apparently physically none the worse for the experience. However, it often, in fact usually, doesn’t end up that way. I knew a very nice guy, who left a wife and young family behind, who crashed a nice aircraft, killing himself and a partner, because he ran out of fuel while on his way to buy fuel at an airport where the prices were lower… such an enormously tragic, pointless, needless loss of life.
Why risk this sort of often-deadly result when it is almost always so easy to prevent it in the first place???
You can’t go wrong with “top it off” if going on a moderate trip.
Depending on the weight and density altitude and runway issues…..less likely in an RV12 I will grant you.