172 runs out of gas - lands on TN highway

[boeingboy]

I know it's not Canadian but Wow!
Runs out of gas, then refuels....starts his takeoff going under a bridge and with a curve in the road. Don't know why he just didn't taxi until he got to the straight part of the road. 2nd video in link is the best one.

I'm sure the FAA will be knocking on his door soon.

https://www.wate.com/news/plane-lands-o ... -reported/

[challenger_nami]

If this pilot was making proper decisions, (S)he probably would not run out of fuel in the first place.

[Mick G]

If this pilot was making proper decisions, (S)he probably would not run out of fuel in the first place.

It could have been a faulty fuel indicator

[valleyboy]

Putting the fuel issue a side it was handled well, as for the takeoff looking at the map that's where I would have left from. The police were there and I'm sure wanting the pilot and aircraft out of there ASAP and approving a departure would be their first choice. It was a nonevent, all is well that ends well so I doubt if the FAA will do much more than require a written report. Most who fly in the north have used a lot less desirable places to land and takeoff.

[challenger_nami]

If this pilot was making proper decisions, (S)he probably would not run out of fuel in the first place.

It could have been a faulty fuel indicator

Do you really believe a faulty Fuel Indicator is a good excuse for Getting an engine Failure due to Fuel Starvation?

[challenger_nami]

Putting the fuel issue a side it was handled well, as for the takeoff looking at the map that's where I would have left from. The police were there and I'm sure wanting the pilot and aircraft out of there ASAP and approving a departure would be their first choice. It was a nonevent, all is well that ends well so I doubt if the FAA will do much more than require a written report. Most who fly in the north have used a lot less desirable places to land and takeoff.

True that police would have wanted the airplane out of there ASAP. but police are not trained pilots and would have no idea what would be the safest way to do it.

A curved runway with a Bridge as an obstacle is probably not the safest bet by most standards.

Taxing past the bridge and the road curve would add another 2 minutes to the whole thing.

Of course things worked out ok this time, but Just imagine the worst case scenario:
If that aircraft had another incident/accident there, that highway would stay closed for many more hours.

[Mick G]

If this pilot was making proper decisions, (S)he probably would not run out of fuel in the first place.

It could have been a faulty fuel indicator

Do you really believe a faulty Fuel Indicator is a good excuse for Getting an engine Failure due to Fuel Starvation?

Not everybody dips the tanks.

[challenger_nami]

It could have been a faulty fuel indicator

Do you really believe a faulty Fuel Indicator is a good excuse for Getting an engine Failure due to Fuel Starvation?

Not everybody dips the tanks.

True. Not everybody dips the tanks.
And those who end up having engine failures due to fuel starvation are usually among the above group that do not dip the tanks, or have another alternative method of fuel quantity verification/ consumption tracking.

My Takeaway: I always Dip The Fuel Tanks, unless the tanks can not be dipped like in King Airs etc.

[CpnCrunch]

I think you'd need to be crazy not to dip the tanks on a 172, unless you've just filled them up to the top. But I guess that nicely explains why some people run out of gas.

[valleyboy]

I see nothing wrong with where the t/o run was started, the aircraft was not getting airborne before passing the bridge and that wasn't much of a curve and it opened to an area with the least obstructions.

[PeterParker]

Let's also not forget that the highway looks fairly well banked for speeds around the airplane's take-off speed. The pilot doing this take-off might be a good real-life case study for circular runways... Remember those?

[Redneck_pilot86]

https://www.motor1.com/news/443293/smal ... e-highway/

video of the departure. Those of you thinking that curve is a big deal need to get out of the circuit more.

[co-joe]

It could have been a faulty fuel indicator

Do you really believe a faulty Fuel Indicator is a good excuse for Getting an engine Failure due to Fuel Starvation?

Not everybody dips the tanks.

Have you even flown a 172? The fuel gauges are all faulty, that's how Cessna made them. If you don't dip your tanks, you deserve an engine failure.

[challenger_nami]

https://www.motor1.com/news/443293/smal ... e-highway/

video of the departure. Those of you thinking that curve is a big deal need to get out of the circuit more.

Yeah Sure. Let’s think those who believe this was not a good decision by the pilot in the video, are simply not as good a pilot as you are @rednck_pilot86.

And technically speaking, those who think taking off from the curve was not a big deal flying a Cessna trainer ... may be right. This can be done with a Cessna .... Most ppl students probably can pull it off.

But it all comes down to Pilot Decision Making, which the pilot in this video has already failed by running out fuel in the first place.... and it’s amazing that some on this forum actually insist that there was nothing wrong with those decisions... I am sure some will hail this pilot as an ace pilot for his amazing flying skills for landing on and taking off from a highway.

When/if you move on to flying more complex aircrafts than single engine trainers like Cessna, my point will make sense: bad decisions can bite you and others around you, and then you become a file number on a CADOR orTSB report.

The following video is from an event with very similar circumstances sorrounding this thread. The pilot probably was a bit more confident in his own skills than he realistically should have been:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idMa4a6eA9M



.

[valleyboy]

It does my heart well that there are so many posters here that never have made a mistake or a stupid decision. For whatever reasons shit happens and how we deal with the issues is what usually saves the day. That's the reason for all the training. As stated by a "bad person" "there will be no new causes for accidents this year" BTW just look where he is, that is not the flat lands. Maybe landing on highways should be introduced in PPL training instead of always picking a field. Many aircraft have and will land on highways and did anyone ever get training on the best way to do it. I don't think so.

Human factors is certainly the core but it's a double edged sword. Sure the best solution is preventing, to the best of our ability and experience, situations by proper preparation but the other side of the coin is how we handle the situation when the crap does hit the fan.

I think this whole running out of fuel and landing and departing from an interstate is a good example how this particular pilot dealt with a possible cockup and was able to successfully handle it logically and bring it to a favourable conclusion.

[StudentPilot]

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/pol ... e-takeoff/

Avweb says it was a precautionary landing due to low fuel, not a forced landing due to a lack of fuel.

If it was a precautionary landing before they ran out of fuel, kudos to them for doing something we are trained and supposed to do but very few actually do when it is the best option.

Admittedly there were fuel management issues (and or poor fuel planning) and likely poor decision making (not diverting to an aerodrome prior to needing to use the highway), but being willing to male a precautionary landing offairport prior to fuel exhaustion was a good move.

[cncpc]

I see nothing wrong with where the t/o run was started, the aircraft was not getting airborne before passing the bridge and that wasn't much of a curve and it opened to an area with the least obstructions.

Brings back the memory of that guy who ran out just east of the Arthur Lang bridge about 15-20 years ago, and deadsticked it, a 172, onto the on ramp of the bridge, around a curve, and under an overhead ramp.

Okay, it was 1981. The years fly by.

[cncpc]

https://www.motor1.com/news/443293/smal ... e-highway/

video of the departure. Those of you thinking that curve is a big deal need to get out of the circuit more.

Yeah Sure. Let’s think those who believe this was not a good decision by the pilot in the video, are simply not as good a pilot as you are @rednck_pilot86.

And technically speaking, those who think taking off from the curve was not a big deal flying a Cessna trainer ... may be right. This can be done with a Cessna .... Most ppl students probably can pull it off.

But it all comes down to Pilot Decision Making, which the pilot in this video has already failed by running out fuel in the first place.... and it’s amazing that some on this forum actually insist that there was nothing wrong with those decisions... I am sure some will hail this pilot as an ace pilot for his amazing flying skills for landing on and taking off from a highway.

When/if you move on to flying more complex aircrafts than single engine trainers like Cessna, my point will make sense: bad decisions can bite you and others around you, and then you become a file number on a CADOR orTSB report.

The following video is from an event with very similar circumstances sorrounding this thread. The pilot probably was a bit more confident in his own skills than he realistically should have been:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idMa4a6eA9M



.

1. Locate testicles
2. Locate elastic band on testicles
3. Remove elastic band
4. Feel better and stop giving out about others.

That is all.

[cncpc]

It does my heart well that there are so many posters here that never have made a mistake or a stupid decision. For whatever reasons shit happens and how we deal with the issues is what usually saves the day. That's the reason for all the training. As stated by a "bad person" "there will be no new causes for accidents this year" BTW just look where he is, that is not the flat lands. Maybe landing on highways should be introduced in PPL training instead of always picking a field. Many aircraft have and will land on highways and did anyone ever get training on the best way to do it. I don't think so.

Human factors is certainly the core but it's a double edged sword. Sure the best solution is preventing, to the best of our ability and experience, situations by proper preparation but the other side of the coin is how we handle the situation when the crap does hit the fan.

I think this whole running out of fuel and landing and departing from an interstate is a good example how this particular pilot dealt with a possible cockup and was able to successfully handle it logically and bring it to a favourable conclusion.

Yes to that.

I put this up for discussion. If you have the fuel for a precautionary landing, you have fuel to make choices about where to make that landing. That may still involve a road with little or no traffic, but my personal view is that the only time a busy interstate is a good choice is when the engine has quit, or there is some other reason where the farm field beside the road won't work.

If you have to deadstick onto a road, a divided and two or more lane highway works best, landing with the traffic. To state the obvious. I'd say that the best way is to line up with enough extra speed at 50 feet to pass traffic until you can settle into a gap and then slow down in ground effect, hoping that there are no Trump supporters behind you too stupid to realize that an aircraft is in trouble and they should not rear end it when it touches down.

[challenger_nami]

1. Locate testicles
2. Locate elastic band on testicles
3. Remove elastic band
4. Feel better and stop giving out about others.

That is all.

Yeah. Sounds like the method you described above worked like magic for yourself.