AIR TAXI ACFT RUNS OUT OF FUEL. EMER LNDG.
Synopsis
AIR TAXI ACFT RUNS OUT OF FUEL. EMER LNDG.
Narrative
DEPARTED HPN (WESTCHESTER) FULL OF FUEL. WENT TO LONG LAKE; ME; WITH 1 STOP ENRTE; DUE TO LOW CEILING AT DEST. THIS LEG; BEING EARLY IN THE MORNING; ARRIVED AT THE LAKE AND LANDED. WAITED FOR PAX TO RETURN. DURING THE WAIT; CHKED OIL WHICH WAS BTWN THE X'S ON THE SEAPLANE DIPSTICK. THIS IS GOOD! CHKED THE FUEL L TANK BTWN 20 AND 25 GALLONS; SO THIS WOULD BE APPROX 23 GALLONS. R TANK SHOWED 26 GALLONS. THIS WOULD GIVE ME 48 GALLONS OF GAS. MY PWR SETTING CONSUMES 16 GALLONS PER HR AND I FIGURED THE RETURN TRIP WOULD BE 2 HRS OR 32 GALLONS OF GAS PLUS TKOF AND CLB FUEL EXTRA COUPLE OF GALLONS. 48-32=16; OF WHICH 4 TOTAL IS UNUSABLE. THIS LEAVES ME 12 GALLONS OF GAS WHICH IS 45 MINS. TAKE OUT 4 GALLONS FOR TAXI; TKOF AND CLB; WHICH IS EXCESSIVE AND I STILL HAVE 30 MINS RESERVE. THIS IS THE PROCESS IN WHICH I USED FOR PREFLT PLANNING. ALSO; GAUGES CONCURRED WITH DIP CHK! I DEPARTED THE LAKE; HAD A NICE FLT; GOOD WX. APCH CTL PUT ME ON L BASE FOR RWY 16 AND HANDED ME OFF. I WAS IN PROCESS OF A DSCNT APPROX 2-3 MI OUT AT APPROX 2200 FT WHEN I SELECTED GEAR DOWN. THEN THE ENG QUIT. BROUGHT GEAR UP; HEADED TOWARD A LAKE; TRIED RESTART TO NO AVAIL. LAKE TOO FAR AWAY TO MAKE; RWY TOO FAR AWAY; SO LOOKED FOR OTHER OPTION. IT CAME IN THE FORM OF A 3 LANE HWY. LANDED WITHOUT A SCRATCH ON ACFT OR ITS OCCUPANTS. SECURED ACFT AND THE PAX. THE NEXT DAY; FAA AND OUR MECHS CHKED OVER THE ACFT AND IN THE END FOUND THAT AFTER DRAINING THE ENTIRE FUEL SYS; 4 GALLONS OF GAS LEFT. THE SYS HOLDS 88 GALLONS TOTAL WITH 4 UNUSABLE. PROB FOUND AFTER EMPTY. REFILLED TO THE TOP AND IT WOULD ONLY TAKE ON 82 GALLONS. THIS IS DUE TO A CRUSHED FUEL CELL IN THE R WING; WHICH WAS PREVIOUSLY REMOVED FOR FLAP MAINT (BLADDER TYPE TANKS). THIS LED TO FALSE FUEL LEVEL READINGS.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.