Apparently, as reported, there was 25 gallons of fuel left before ditching into the ocean.
Where was this amount of fuel? In the main tanks or in the AUX tanks?
I won't fly a Cirrus with the wing tanks empty though. So, presumably, the 25 gallons were in the wing tanks, with 12.5 gallons each.
Now, does it mean that the AUX tank was empty?
The distance from KTCY to PHOG is approx. 2075nm straight line flight, and with an average speed of 180kts and 15-16 gals per hour fuel consumption, it would take about 11-12 hours of flight, and approx. 200 gallons of fuel, to reach PHOG.
Assuming that he had 232 gallons of fuel on board, at an empty weight of 2340 lbs, the take off max. weight would be approx. 3732 lbs, which is 132 lbs above the max. takeoff weight of 3600 lbs.
If I'm going to fly that distance, I would first use the fuel from the AUX tanks, which actually makes better sense to me.
I mean, the story isn't adding up though. Let's see what FAA perspectives would narrate.
WP
Last edited by worldpilot; 1st Feb 2015 at 11:02.