Learning the Basics of Fuel Management

Running out of fuel is most often a result of human error and can result in an unscheduled off-airport landing.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at 10:57 AM ET

Verified

Edited By: tccjeremy

The No. 1 cause of fuel exhaustion, according to the NTSB, is human error. [Credit: iStock]

Key Takeaways:

Fuel exhaustion is a common and severe cause of aviation accidents, often resulting in dangerous off-airport landings and largely stemming from preventable human error.
Meticulous fuel management is crucial, requiring conservative calculations using pilot operating handbook (POH) data and flight computers (E6-B), factoring in all flight phases, and frequent refueling opportunities.
Primary causes of fuel exhaustion include incorrect fuel consumption calculations, improper fuel system management, neglecting visual fuel checks, and failing to use checklists, particularly among student pilots.
Pilots must prioritize safety by ensuring adequate fuel for every flight, accepting planned refueling stops and potential delays to prevent tragic incidents.

See a mistake? Contact us.

The only time you have too much fuel is when you are on fire. I tell all my clients this, but especially my student pilots, because running out of fuel is right up there with leaving the baby on the bus. It shouldn’t happen, but it does, and more often than not, it happens when you get behind the airplane.

Running out of fuel can result in an unscheduled off-airport landing. If you are lucky, no one gets hurt, there is very little property damage, and you can use the airplane again. Other times, the results are deadly, or at least more dramatic.