Fixations

A pilot-buddy and I were flying two airplanes to the runway at Cape Hatteras, N.C., to spend the day on the beach. Both my rented Cessna 172 and his recently purchased Piper Warrior were loaded with people and gear for the trip, and we both had departed with restricted fuel. Wed hooked up en route at a prearranged time, location and altitude, and were chatting back and forth on the air-to-air frequency. Plan A was to stop in Elizabeth City, N.C., and take on enough fuel for each of us to get back to our respective bases that evening without stopping.

Editorial Staff

Tuesday, October 30, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

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Key Takeaways:

The pilot exhibited fixation on his initial fueling plan, causing him to disregard multiple warnings (ATIS, buddy, tower) about an airport's impending closure.
This incident underscored the critical importance of maintaining strong situational awareness and actively listening to all available information.
The core lesson learned was the necessity of being flexible and willing to abandon an initial plan without reluctance when circumstances change, as external factors often dictate adaptability.

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A pilot-buddy and I were flying two airplanes to the runway at Cape Hatteras, N.C., to spend the day on the beach. Both my rented Cessna 172 and his recently purchased Piper Warrior were loaded with people and gear for the trip, and we both had departed with restricted fuel. We’d hooked up en route at a prearranged time, location and altitude, and were chatting back and forth on the air-to-air frequency. Plan A was to stop in Elizabeth City, N.C., and take on enough fuel for each of us to get back to our respective bases that evening without stopping.

About 10 minutes out of our planned fuel stop, we both got the ATIS, which included a Notam about a temporary airport closure. As it happened, the airport was going to shut down for a couple of hours, beginning in about 15 minutes. My buddy asked on the other radio about a Plan B, but it didn’t register; landing at Elizabeth City and getting fuel was the flight’s mission, and I wasn’t going to let something silly like a mere Notam interfere.