At about 1450 eastern time, a Rockwell Commander 112TC ditched into the Atlantic Ocean about 10 to 12 miles east of Stuart, Fla., apparently after running out of fuel. The two occupants were not injured. The pilot departed Daytona Beach for Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, where he added 10 gallons of fuel to get him back to Fort Pierce, Fla. He declared a fuel problem at 1446 and ditched the airplane four minutes later. The pilot said he did not measure the fuel aboard at any time, but had estimated it based on a visual inspection of the fuel level relative to the metal tabs. The owner of the airplane indicated the accident pilot had not properly calculated fuel consumption at the power and mixture settings he used.
July 03, Atlantic Ocean / Rockwell Commander 112TC
At about 1450 eastern time, a Rockwell Commander 112TC ditched into the Atlantic Ocean about 10 to 12 miles east of Stuart, Fla., apparently after running out of fuel. The two occupants were not injured. The pilot departed Daytona Beach for Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, where he added 10 gallons of fuel to get him back to Fort Pierce, Fla. He declared a fuel problem at 1446 and ditched the airplane four minutes later. The pilot said he did not measure the fuel aboard at any time, but had estimated it based on a visual inspection of the fuel level relative to the metal tabs. The owner of the airplane indicated the accident pilot had not properly calculated fuel consumption at the power and mixture...
Key Takeaways:
- A Rockwell Commander 112TC ditched into the Atlantic Ocean near Stuart, Florida, due to apparent fuel exhaustion, with both occupants escaping uninjured.
- The pilot reported estimating fuel visually rather than measuring it and declared a fuel problem just four minutes before ditching.
- The aircraft owner indicated the pilot had not accurately calculated fuel consumption for the power and mixture settings used during the flight.
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