Aftermath: Running Low on Fuel Sooner Than Expected

There can be many reasons for running low on fuel sooner than expected: headwinds that prolong a flight, tailwinds that make you optimistically skip a planned stop, tanks not filled to the brim, too rich a mixture, a miscalculation in flight planning.

Peter Garrison

Friday, June 30, 2017 at 08:01 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A pilot flying a Piper PA-28 with passengers on an overnight trip crashed 6 miles short of his Florida destination due to fuel exhaustion, resulting in his and his daughter's deaths.
Despite flight planning calculations indicating a necessary second fuel stop or adjustments to conserve fuel, the pilot made an early first stop but then failed to refuel or modify his flight parameters.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined the primary cause was the pilot's inadequate fuel planning and subsequent total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
A significant contributing factor was the pilot's impairment from cocaine use, which likely affected his judgment, fuel management abilities, and decision-making by fostering a false sense of confidence that overrode rational caution.

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The distance from Campbell Airport (C81), a little north of Chicago, to St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) in Florida is about 920 nm.

A Piper PA-28-181 Archer has two 25-gallon tanks, but is officially credited with 48 gallons of usable fuel. The pilot’s operating handbook says that at 75 percent power and best-power mixture, it burns 10.5 gallons an hour and cruises at 125 knots. The required fuel reserve for night VFR is 45 minutes at a “normal” power setting. Since a more conservative setting than max cruise certainly qualifies as normal, the reserve might arguably be six gallons. In addition, some extra fuel is required for taxi, run-up and climb; let’s say 1.5 gallons.