A Pilot's Fueling Mystery Explained

Pilot recalls a lesson learned about tanks from a dead stick landing.

Kevin Capozzi

Thursday, February 20, 2025 at 09:55 AM ET

Verified

Edited By: tccjeremy

Harrowing experience teaches pilot a valuable lesson—always check your tanks. [Illustration: Joel Kimmel]

Key Takeaways:

A pilot experienced a dual engine failure mid-flight in a Cessna Skymaster due to suspected fuel starvation, despite having ordered and paid for fuel prior to departure.
The incident was attributed to unreliable fuel gauges and the pilot's failure to visually inspect the fuel tanks before takeoff, stemming from a "cavalier attitude" and the high-wing design making checks difficult.
The pilot successfully executed an emergency glide landing, learning the critical lesson to always physically verify fuel levels, leading to the creation of a ladder for pre-flight tank inspections.

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Aviation has always been a part of my life.

My father owned multiple airplanes over the years, including a Beech Staggerwing (which I never saw), a Ryan Navion, turbo Apache, Twin Bonanza 1, Twin Bonanza 2 (H50), Commander 680FLP, Commander 680V (with the “Century” conversion installed), and finally a Twin Commander 690B. He was in the Canadian Air Force as a World War II radar service technician. He loved aviation and KF Aerospace started out of his hangar at Kelowna International Airport (CYLW) in British Columbia.