Fuel exhaustion accidents

The NTSB determines that the probable cause of this accident was the failure of the flight crew to adequately manage the airplane s fuel load, and their failure to communicate an emergency fuel situation to air traffic control before fuel exhaustion occurred. (OTSB 1991, p. 76, emphasis added)... 

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) (1991), Aircraft Accident Report Avianca, the Airline of Columbia, Boeing 707-321B, HK 2016 Fuel Exhaustion, Cove Neck, New York, January 25, 1990, Report No. NTSB-AAR-91-04, NTSB, Washington, DC. 

As Table 11.7 shows, the two fuel exhaustion accidents appeared to have similar causation. The pilots failed to give appropriate attention to fuel management Both were low time pilots in aerial agriculture. However, there was insufficient information available to gain an understanding of why these pilots were unable to satisfactorily manage their fuel and take action to return to the airstrip before the fuel state became critical. 

Flexible plastic sample bags are generally limited to vapor phase samples that can be analyzed within a short time after sample collectioa This limitation is due to potential losses of analytes by sitrface adsorption and surface chemical reactions. Transportation of inflated bags over long distances to a remote laboratory is cumbersome, and can result in total losses of samples due to pimctures and other accidents. Plastic bags are used in some laboratory operations— for example, to collect automobile exhaust and vaporized fuel—and for samples that can be conveniently transported to a laboratory. 

The fuel salt is critical only where graphite exists in an appropriate fraction. In an accident, the fuel salt exhausted from the core cannot induce a re-criticality accident ... 

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