Mental Arithmatic versus Instruments

[sharksandwich]

A 21-year-old trainee pilot died in a plane crash when another pilot refused to accept the empty fuel gauge reading, saying his own calculations were more accurate.

Jaskinder Kaur Samra, from Wednesfield, near Wolverhampton, was a passenger in the rented 1969 Cessna aircraft piloted by American friend Abraham George, 24, who also died in the tragedy.

A second passenger, Shaun Thacker, from Monmouthshire in Wales, miraculously survived the crash after wrapping himself in a duvet to protect his body.



http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/14/article-2173460-140EA7F0000005DC-660_468x360.jpg Jaskinder Samra, 21, was killed when a Cessna Skyhawk fell from the sky just a few minutes short of an airfield in Georgia




Shortly after those fateful words on the 427-mile flight, from New Smyrna Beach, Florida to Chattanooga, Tennessee, the engine lost power and the plane crashed.:I trust my maths more than a 1969 fuel gauge: Pilot's fatal final words before crashing killing him and trainee | Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2173460/I-trust-maths-1969-fuel-gauge-Pilots-fatal-final-words-crashing-killing-trainee.html)

[Jan Olieslagers]

Well, that's far more saddening and sobering than the story in the "Never before.." thread.

I know I shouldn't be saying it, but can't resist: if his calculations AND his decision making were that poor, small surprise he dodged the emergency landing too.

RIP.

[peterh337]

Stupid article, typical of the Mail.

Fuel gauges are usually useless. One has to do separate fuel planning, and in this case the pilot got it wrong.

[goldeneaglepilot]

Peter - fuel calculations don't account for unknown factors such as (for example) an out of sight fuel drain leaking.

Whilst some gauges are not as accurate as others they do give some information and should not be ignored

[Maoraigh1]

From the Mail, it seems the pilot was instructing them for commercial licenses.

[peterh337]

Whilst some gauges are not as accurate as others they do give some information and should not be ignored

I would agree, which is why I fly only my own plane nowadays :)

The ones I trained in never had usable fuel gauges.

I recall when I walked up to the CFI once and said that the fuel gauges don't seem to indicate anything useful. He looked at me very seriously, walked up to one of his instructors, and went through a charade of very formally asking him for a report on the fuel gauges. Obviously the FI(R) replied that he was unaware of any problems :) Only a little later did I realise the joke which he pulled.

[Tarq57]

Only times I've ever taken fuel gauge indications seriously was when they/it indicated a lower fuel state than expected.

Exception was the Beagle Pup. Tend to believe the indication at all times. A light aircraft with an accurate fuel gauge. Rather a rarity.