Off-Field landing

Michael wrote:

The NTSB still called it pilot error.

And they're right. Coming back from Oshkosh last time, my left fuel gauge stayed
on full. I did not assume that something was wrong with the gauge and that I had
plenty of gas.

Turned out that some little insect had plugged the vents at my last fuel stop
and it was pulling from the right tank only, even when the left tank was selected.

When the gauges get close to empty, land. Especially if they shouldn't be
getting close to empty.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.

"John Theune" wrote

Jim;
I'm not sure where you googled a fuel cap of 64 gallons for a m20A.

Well, if it was on the internet, it must be right, correct? g

The site I was at was definitely talking about the m20a, and as I recall, it
was 112 liters per side, useable. That worked out to 64 gallons. If that
does not figure, my memory about the liters was wrong.

The specs I found were 35 stand and 52 extended range or another site that
said 48 gallons, which agrees with what I had thought. 75% cruise is 156
knots so it would seem that the flight would have been well within range.
As I recall from the ntsb report the pilot said he had 49 usable on board
at takeoff which would match with the full fuel numbers. I don't recall
what the winds aloft where on the flight but it would seem reasonable that
the flight should have been doable. Also the flight departed around 1300
and ended at 1720 which is 4:20 by my math. ( I know you did not supply
the 5:20 number )

I would be surprised if your site was right, only based on the fact that
Moonies usually have very long legs; usually somewhere at least around 750NM
with reserves.

Who knows, and really, at this point, who cares. The pilot should have know
what his time aloft with reserves was, and landed *before* the fan stopped,
when the timer reached zero and the fuel was all gone.
--
Jim in NC

"Michael" wrote

Before we jump all over this guy and make snide comments about too much
air in the tanks, I seem to recall not too long ago we had a pilot run
out of gas - only it turned out later than when his carburetor was
rebuilt, most of the parts used were for the wrong model or out of
tolerance, and the fuel leaked away. The NTSB still called it pilot
error.

True. The facts are not in, yet. We can wait to jump on him, until then.
g

It does make you wonder if he had fuel gauges that worked. Seeing them both
down almost down at the empty line would have made me want to stop, before
all the reserve was used up, right?
--
Jim in NC

as I recall, it was 112 liters per side, useable. That worked out to 64 gallons. If that does not figure, my memory about the liters was wrong.

1.1 quarts per liter, 4 quarts per gallon. To the nearest one...
112 liters * 1.1 = 123 quarts
123 qquarts / 4 = 31 gallons
per side = 62 gallons total usable. Close enough.

Jose
--
Money: what you need when you run out of brains.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

"John Theune" wrote in message news:q6txf.10798

..... Also the flight departed around 1300 and ended at 1720 which is 4:20
by my math. ( I know you did not supply the 5:20 number )

The report specified that the flight ended at 1720 PST, which was local
time, so I am presuming that when they referenced the take off time as 1300
they used local time for that also. The departure point was ABQ, which is
in MST. If that's the case, he would have been in the air for 5:20.