What happened
The pilot initiated contact with approach control to coordinate visual flight rules (VFR) staging to the destination airport, requesting radar service during the transit. During the course of the flight, the situation deteriorated necessitating an emergency procedure. The pilot subsequently indicated that a forced landing was necessary due to fuel exhaustion.
The investigation
An examination of the flight planning and execution revealed significant discrepancies in the pilot's fuel management calculations. Although the pilot calculated that the aircraft had full fuel tanks at the start of the flight, this assessment failed to account for operational realities. Specifically, the pilot did not recall two local flights that had been conducted without refueling between them. Furthermore, the pilot failed to take into consideration the impact of strong headwinds on fuel consumption during the leg.
Findings
The primary factor leading to the emergency landing was fuel exhaustion. This outcome was directly caused by the pilot's failure to accurately track fuel usage across multiple flight segments and the omission of environmental factors such as strong headwinds in the pre-flight planning. The pilot's recollection of previous local flights was incomplete, leading to an overestimation of available fuel reserves for the subsequent leg.
Safety message
Pilots must meticulously track fuel consumption across all flight segments, including local operations, and ensure accurate refueling records are maintained. Pre-flight calculations must always account for adverse weather conditions, such as headwinds, which significantly increase fuel burn rates.