AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 32

SAFETYPILOT

BY BRUCE LANDSBERG
PRESIDENT, AOPA FOUNDATION

Gas pains

S

orry to say that at this late date, we’re still occasionally attempting to stay aloft on low-octane air—and just about the time you think you’ve heard

started a return to the departure airport immediately. The engine stopped at 100 feet agl on final approach and the aircraft struck a security fence. No injuries but a lot of damage to the aircraft. • A Piper PA–28 ran a tank dry with 17 gallons remaining in the other tank. Dividing systems into multiple tanks that must be switched is a designinduced reality waiting to happen. Sometime, the physics of fuel systems just don’t allow any other way. Low fuel warning lights will help, as will a timer it all, there’s a different twist. This winter there was that is set as a reminder to switch when appropriate. a news story about westbound United/Continen• A Cessna 172 on a 400-mile cross-country ran AOPA Foundation tal Airlines Boeing 757s stopping off in Greenland, short just three miles from the destination. AccordPresident Bruce Iceland, Ireland, and Canada to take on fuel. As a ing to the NTSB report, “At 67-percent power, and Landsberg has passenger on what was billed as a nonstop flight, operating with a lean mixture, the airplane’s fuel more than 6,000 consumption rate was 7.6 gallons per hour but, would you be irritated, amused, or reassured? The flight hours. according to the manual, allowances for fuel London Daily Mail reported, “Carriers like Continental Airlines have been making unscheduled pit reserve, headwinds, takeoffs and climb, and variastops as they fly west—in fact, every 43 out of 1,100 flights were tions in mixture leaning technique should be made and are in diverted in December in Boeing 757 aircraft, reports say. A year addition to those shown on the charts [emphasis added]. Other ago, that number was only 12.” variables such as carburetor metering characteristics, engine La Niña, according to NOAA, “is defined as cooler than nor- and propeller conditions, and turbulence or atmosphere may mal sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical account for variations of 10 percent or more in maximum range. Pacific Ocean that impact global weather patterns. La Niña con- When asked how the accident could have been prevented, the ditions recur every few years and can persist for as long as two pilot stated that he should have stopped for fuel en route.” years.” In this case they rev up the jet stream, making for strong • A Piper Navajo was on a medevac flight from Georgia to headwinds westbound, but the flights almost always make it. Illinois, a distance of more than 700 nm. The very strong northThe airlines, with business not being great these days, some- westerly winds over most of the route were possibly a factor times use the smaller 757 to “right size” capacity on the route, when the pilot advised ATC that he was out of fuel and “coastalthough the trip is at the outer edge of the 757’s range. How- ing.” He reported the runway in sight underneath a 1,400-foot ever, the procedures have worked. The airlines have a system overcast, but came up short with three fatalities. in which multiple eyes, from pilots to dispatchers, are watching • Finally, one that hits close to home was a friend giving sightthe fuel situation. The aircraft itself has a fairly sophisticated seeing rides in a warbird. He apparently miscalculated his fuel monitoring system, so rationalization does not rear its nasty requirements for multiple sorties and wound up just short of the head. The only casualties have been missed connecting flights runway, upside down in a river. There is also a possibility that a and quite a bit of time. carburetor malfunction caused the engine to burn a bit more GA pilots are often confronted with similar challenges, but than he calculated, but the gauges were correct. He drowned; we don’t always take the smart way out. The Air Safety Institute the passenger survived unharmed. maintains a map of fuel-mismanagement accidents (www.aopa. Despite FAA regulations, we recommend the golden hour: org/asf/ntsb/fuelmap.cfm) that graphically shows the where; Be on the ground (not thinking about it) with an hour’s reserve a link goes to the accident database to get the who, what, and appropriate to the flight conditions. It will occasionally be how. Looking back to last year, there were 19 accidents based inconvenient, but it sure beats the alternative. on an October 2011 cutoff date (this is updated periodically). The Air Safety Institute came up with a number of readyLet’s take a quick flight through: made excuses to use with the FAA in case you were a bit addled • A Beech Musketeer returning from Mexico cleared Customs by the accident: I’ve always made it before. The POH says this into the United States and took on 20 gallons of additional fuel, aircraft has the range to make this trip. Leaning? Hmmm, I read but the pilot did not top the tanks. He got within about 25 miles about that somewhere. The gas was cheaper at the other airport. of his destination, advised ATC that the aircraft had become a We’re adding a new one to the list: La Niña made me do it! glider, and diverted to the nearest airport. It was too late, and the crash resulted in three fatalities. For more fuel management tips and some rather amusing Pilot • A Bonanza pilot took off with just a few gallons divided among Safety Announcements, see the Safety Hotspot (www.aopa.org/ three tanks, decided that maybe that wasn’t the best idea, and asf/hotspot/fuel.html). 32 • MARCH 2012

AOPA PILOT •


http://www.aopa.org/asf/ntsb/fuelmap.cfm http://www.aopa.org/asf/ntsb/fuelmap.cfm http://www.aopa.org/asf/hotspot/fuel.html http://www.aopa.org/asf/hotspot/fuel.html

AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012

AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012
Contents
President’s Position
Hangar Talk
AOPA Media
AOPA Action
Letters
Waypoints
Proficient Pilot
Safety Pilot
License to Learn
Pilot Counsel
Fly Well
Pilot Briefing
Rally GA: Rights for Pilots?
Keep ’Em Flying: New Voices for GA
Another Day, Another Island
Wx Watch: The Whys of Wind
Avionics: Angle of Attack Indicators
Products: There Are Accessories for That
Tougher Than a Tornado Sweepstakes: Happy Birthday
Never Again
Fly-Outs
Fly by Wire
Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - President’s Position
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Hangar Talk
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 9
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - AOPA Media
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 11
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - AOPA Action
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 14
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 15
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 16
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 17
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 18
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 19
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 20
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 21
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 22
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 23
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Letters
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 25
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 26
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 27
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Waypoints
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 29
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Proficient Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 31
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Safety Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 33
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - License to Learn
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 35
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Pilot Counsel
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 37
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Fly Well
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 39
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Pilot Briefing
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 41
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 42
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 43
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 44
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Rally GA: Rights for Pilots?
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 46
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 47
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 48
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Insert001
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Insert002
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Keep ’Em Flying: New Voices for GA
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 50
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 51
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Another Day, Another Island
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 53
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 54
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 55
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 56
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 57
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 60
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 62
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 63
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 65
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 73
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 75
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 76
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 77
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 78
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 79
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 80
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 81
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 86
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 87
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 88
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Insert003
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Insert004
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 89
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 90
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 91
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 92
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Wx Watch: The Whys of Wind
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 94
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 95
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 96
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Avionics: Angle of Attack Indicators
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 98
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Products: There Are Accessories for That
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 100
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Tougher Than a Tornado Sweepstakes: Happy Birthday
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 102
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 103
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Never Again
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 105
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 106
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Fly-Outs
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Fly by Wire
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 109
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 110
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 111
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - Cover4
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