Forgetting to Close

Its true-sometimes pilots forget to close their flight plan altogether. A long time ago ATC placed my little Tiger in an NDB hold in weather with 20-mile legs, obviously a delaying tactic, awaiting the ILS. Then a Short 360 commuter (the Winnebago with wings) showed up, also seeking the ILS. On inquiry, ATC told us that an aircraft had flown the approach and not closed its flight plan. Sure enough, the airport manager found the airplane at its tiedown, pilot long gone. Claiming minimum fuel, we landed first with only half an hour of fuel left in the tanks.

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, November 05, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Failing to close a flight plan can cause significant delays for other aircraft, trigger unnecessary search and rescue operations, and potentially lead to pilot billing for false dispatches.
Timely flight plan closure is critical as search and rescue activates 30 minutes after ETA, a delay that can become dangerous, as illustrated by an incident where a pilot nearly ran out of fuel.
Pilots should implement various personal reminders, ranging from physical objects and airport signs to phone alarms or text messages, to ensure they close their flight plan promptly after landing.

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It’s true—sometimes pilots forget to close their flight plan altogether. A long time ago ATC placed my little Tiger in an NDB hold in weather with 20-mile legs, obviously a delaying tactic, awaiting the ILS. Then a Short 360 commuter (the “Winnebago with wings”) showed up, also seeking the ILS. On inquiry, ATC told us that an aircraft had flown the approach and not closed its flight plan. Sure enough, the airport manager found the airplane at its tiedown, pilot long gone. Claiming minimum fuel, we landed first with only half an hour of fuel left in the tanks.

Failing to close your flight plan can be more than inconvenient. In our case it could have been deadly. Search and rescue kicks in 30 minutes after your ETA, which is sound reason to update your ETE if it changes that much or more. And they can bill you for false dispatches. So, many of us use a little reminder as a last resort in case we forget to cancel or close our flight plan, be it IFR or VFR. Does your airport have a sign on the exit gate reminding you to close your flight plan?