What happened
A flight originating in Houston, Texas, was traveling under visual flight rules toward San Diego, California. During the trip, the crew modified their original plan to refuel at Gila Bend, Arizona, because the fuel services there were unavailable. To manage the situation, the pilot decided to land at a private airstrip and arranged for fuel to be delivered to the Casa Grande airport. Due to concerns regarding the available runway length at the private strip, the crew opted to take only 65 gallons of fuel for the rest of the journey.
While en route to the destination, the crew received weather updates indicating a 1,000-foot overcast ceiling at San Diego. Consequently, the pilot requested and was granted an instrument clearance. During the approach, air traffic control instructed the pilot to maintain speed to avoid delays caused by jet traffic. The pilot notified controllers that the aircraft was in a fuel-critical state, estimating approximately 45 to 60 minutes of endurance remaining.
After being cleared for the localizer runway 27 approach, the pilot initiated a missed approach because the aircraft was too high for a safe landing. Shortly thereafter, the pilot informed San Diego radar that fuel levels had dropped to approximately five minutes. While controllers provided vectors to the nearest airport and instructed the pilot to maintain altitude, the crew eventually ran out of fuel. There were no mechanical discrepancies found in the engines or the airframe during the post-accident inspection.
Findings
- The crew operated with significantly reduced fuel reserves due to a decision made during an unplanned stop.
- Fuel exhaustion occurred during the approach phase following a missed approach maneuver.