By Howard Deevers
Fifty Two does not sound like a big number. There are 52 weeks in a year. What is significant about this? There are about 52 General Aviation fuel related accidents per year in the U S. That is one per week!
Doing research on fuel-related accidents, I find that this has not changed over the last 10 years. Some years it may be a few more, or a few less, but on average there are about 52 per year. That does not mean that there will be one each week, but on some weeks there may be more than one, and on other weeks there may be zero fuel-related accidents. But year after year, the number is about the same.
Fuel Related does not always mean running out of fuel. At times the plane may have adequate fuel, but the pilot did not switch tanks, or was unable, or did not know how to switch tanks for some reason. Also, not all fuel related accidents are fatal. Some pilots are able to make an off-airport landing without any damage to the plane or themselves. Unfortunately, there are more reports of fatal accidents than there are about successful landings.
Reading some NTSB reports you just know that the outcome is not going to be good. In one report years ago, the owner of a Cessna 210 had been told about a fuel leak in one of his wing tanks many times by the attendant putting fuel in his plane. His comment was always the same: I'll get that fixed at the next Annual. The owner, a doctor, died in an attempted off airport landing after running out of fuel on a cross-country flight. Then there are the reports of the pilot who “thinks” that he has enough fuel to make a planned flight. The lesson here is: do not “think” you have enough fuel but confirm your exact amount on board and add fuel if there is any doubt about making the destination.
There are also reports where the pilot had fuel but was unable to switch tanks due to a faulty fuel selector. I don't know how you can determine that on a pre-flight but switching tanks during run up is a good practice, for those airplanes that have such selectors. It may not be on the check list for pre-flight or take-off on my plane, but it is just good practice.
Do you trust your fuel gauges? Over time you will start understanding how much fuel your airplane burns per hour. If you have a reliable per hour fuel number, and know how much fuel you have in those tanks at take-off, you will have a very reliable number, in time, that the airplane can fly. My personal
rule is to land with at least one hour of fuel still in the tanks. That way I am never pushing the limits.
Newer technology has improved the pilot’s ability to determine how much fuel is on board. New glass panels have fuel totalizers built in. A fuel totalizer is an inexpensive item to add to an older plane to give the pilot an accurate number for fuel used on a flight. With all of this technology you would think that fuel-related accidents would be very rare. But they are not rare enough. Is it possible to get that number down from 52 to 1 or less?
Are instructors teaching fuel management? They should be. Emergency procedures are part of Private Pilot training. Most instructors will pull the throttle back and say “engine failure,” surprising the student. Not all engine out emergencies are fuel related. Mechanical issues can cause your engine to quit also, but we are talking about fuel only in this case. The instructor should explain that if you are out of fuel there can be no go around. You are a glider only at that point, and must pick the best possible place to land, and do a good job of that. Even with the best instruction, if the pilot fails to know and understand fuel requirements and fuel use, there will continue to be accidents.
To learn more about aviation safety come to a Safety Seminar sponsored by your ARIZONA PILOTS ASSOCIATION and the FAASTeam at a location near you. Check the website for locations and times. And, don't forget to “Bring your wingman.”