Pilot Decision-Making and Fuel Exhaustion With No Fuel Remaining

A Refueling Plan Abandoned Over Thunderstorms

The flight began with a reasonable plan to refuel en route, but the plan changed. The pilot delayed departure because of thunderstorms near the destination, later departed with full tanks and then continued the entire route without the planned fuel stop. Near the destination, the pilot noticed that the fuel gauges showed less fuel than expected. He nevertheless continued the approach.

Visibility prevented the pilot from seeing the runway environment, so a missed approach was required. During the climb after the missed approach, the engine lost power. The pilot restarted it once, but it failed again during the subsequent climb. The second failure was permanent. The aircraft descended into trees and came to rest after dropping roughly 20 feet.

The fuel-exhaustion investigation is centered on a plan that changed without a corresponding fuel-plan reset. The aircraft experienced a weather-related delay, the planned fuel stop was not completed, and the flight continued with increasing fuel demand. The pilot later reported low fuel, and the engine eventually lost power after the missed-approach sequence consumed additional margin.

4 Hours 43 Minutes on a Tank Meant to Be Topped Off

The flight lasted approximately 4 hours and 43 minutes. That duration is central to understanding the accident. The pilot had originally intended to stop for fuel, but the plan changed after the weather delay. Once airborne, the fuel stop was no longer performed even though the actual flight time and headwinds were increasing the fuel requirement.

The pilot eventually advised ATC that he was low on fuel. When the runway could not be seen, the missed approach consumed more time and fuel. The engine then lost power during the climb.

The first restart succeeded temporarily. That may have created a final false sense of security. The pilot climbed again, but the engine lost power a second time and could not be restarted.

Postaccident evidence found the tanks empty and no mechanical failure that would have prevented normal engine operation. The investigation therefore points back to planning and fuel management. The missed approach is particularly important because it consumed fuel that the original plan may not have treated as a realistic possibility.

A Textbook Fuel-Planning Failure

The probable cause was inadequate preflight planning and fuel management resulting in total fuel exhaustion and loss of engine power. The accident is a textbook example of why a fuel plan must be recalculated when circumstances change.

A weather delay is not neutral from a fuel perspective. Delaying departure may change the wind, the arrival time, the holding requirement and the need for an alternate. If the original plan included a fuel stop, the pilot must consciously decide whether the revised plan still provides adequate reserves.

The case demonstrates why fuel planning is a dynamic calculation. Removing a fuel stop, accepting a delay, encountering stronger headwinds or adding a missed approach can each change the reserve. The pilot must recompute the remaining options rather than continuing because the original flight plan was once adequate.

Investigation and findings

The most dangerous part of fuel exhaustion is that it often develops quietly. There may be no mechanical warning until the engine stops. Fuel gauges, time, fuel burn, groundspeed and planned reserves should all tell the same story. When they do not, the conservative assumption should be used.

Sources and investigation material

• Aviation Safety Network
• FAA (faa.gov)
• FAA (faa.gov)

Accident Facts