Where Did The Gas Go?

Martha Lunken

Saturday, November 03, 2007 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The pilot experienced two separate in-flight engine failures in her Cessna 180; the first due to an iced fuel vent and the second, more dramatically, due to an unsecured fuel cap siphoning both tanks dry.
Despite prior repairs and diligent pre-flight, the second incident highlighted human fallibility, forcing a skillful emergency landing on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
The experience reinforced the critical importance of regularly practicing power-off landings (e.g., 180-degree approaches) as a fundamental skill that can save lives during engine failures.
The article serves as a candid reflection on aviation safety, emphasizing personal preparedness, meticulous equipment maintenance, and acknowledging the human element in preventing or mitigating aviation incidents.

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I Shivered a little that September morning at Nashua Airport, on a ladder with my finger in the left tank of the Cessna 180 taildragger. Good, the 100LL was puddling over the flaps. Topping these tanks was kind of funky because the airplane had rubber bladders and stiffly hinged flappers under the caps … new ones, installed after a semi-harrowing adventure earlier that year.

Thinking about the three-hour flight ahead, I ratcheted the cap back on and climbed down. At Altoona, I’d fuel up, offload coffee and replenish my stash of peanut butter crackers. Forgetting headsets, charts, pens, sunglasses, flashlights and potty-bags is no big deal. Running out of peanut butter crackers and Tootsie Pops is a disaster. Then two and a half hours to Cincinnati. It was Sunday, and I’d spent the week “working”-doing type rating check rides in a DC-3 freighter that spent most of its time hauling baby chicks.