Running An Airplane Out Of Fuel Is An Inexcusable Error And It Has Recently Popped Up On TV And In Printed News Media

The recent incident of an airliner stating it was desperately low on fuel in order to land at an airport that was closed can be a lesson for everyone, including recreational aviators. Despite the fact that recreational flyers are operating small aircraft, the basic rules regarding safe fuel quantities and emergency procedures apply to the little guys and the big guys alike.

First, let’s take a look at the fuel requirements as spelled out in FAR 91. For the sake of this discussion we’ll just stay with VFR flying. The regulations require us to have enough fuel to reach the destination and then have a reserved for 30 minutes if it’s daytime, and 45 minutes if it’s nighttime. We can find at least 3 places in FAR 91 where the pilot is held responsible to be in compliance with these requirements.

You may find it odd that if you run out of fuel and either make a forced landing or require special ATC handling, the actual running out of fuel is not against the rules; it is the rules regarding the planning of the flight that have been violated.

You’ll also find that FAR 91 clearly states that a pilot may deviate from the regulations in the case of an emergency. However it’s important to remember, if the pilot created the emergency through improper preflight planning, the pilot can be held responsible for violating the planning rules. The same thing applies to ATC clearances in an emergency situation. If the pilot of an aircraft declares an emergency to ATC, the controllers are obligated to provide priority handling. Remember, ATC is not a police force; their sole purpose is to be of service and maintain safety.

In the case of the airliner incident we referred to earlier, there may be an issue because of the report that the pilot declared, “Bingo fuel,” to indicate his low fuel situation. This is a term used in the military to indicate minimum fuel but it’s not an acceptable term to use with ATC in the civilian arena. Due to other airline accidents that were caused by fuel exhaustion, the FAA has made it very clear that in a fuel emergency situation all pilots must declare that there is indeed a “fuel emergency.”

The best bet is; always plan carefully and don’t run out of gas.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.faa.gov