Fate is the Hunter

mhcasey · May 1st, 2008, 02:27

This is my screw up tale of the day:

While preflighting the C152, my student and I await the fuel truck to top of the tanks - He might be soloing, so I want to make sure we have plenty of fuel should we get there. The truck, per the usual at KAUS, takes forever. I ask the student to use the dipstick to check the fuel levels. He checks both tanks and finds about 9 gallons in one tank and 7 in the other. OK - 16g - a solid 2.5, maybe 3 hours worth of fuel should be plenty. We'll fill up elsewhere if we really need to. I cancel the fuel order and we're off.

The winds and turbulence today were downright nasty and my student struggled in the pattern a bit. Being a pretty determined individual, he wanted to go until he got it right. We stayed in the pattern for a while and both decided it was not a great day to solo, but he wanted to work on ground reference maneuvers as well. I checked the hobbs times and the fuel gauges still looked good, but I told him he'd better get it right the first time because we needed to get back for more fuel. Fortunately, he did a great job and we headed back to KAUS.

But alas, on the initial call up, "N12345, maintain clear of class C." This is not exactly what I want to hear, and while I feel confident that we still have plenty in the tanks, I know the "30 minute reserve" is just around the corner. I wait around for about 10 minutes flying circles waiting for a clearance and finally tell approach that he needs to either let us in or we need to go fuel up. He tells us to head straight for the field.

The rest of the flight was uneventful. I signed his logbook, we talked about the flight (I actually emphasized fuel management and discussed my actions with ATC), and then I was out of there.

I got home tonight to an e-mail that read, "Today I preflighted 67796, and the right fuel cap was off, and less than 5 gallons of fuel was in the plane." Now 5g in a C-152 is almost an hour of endurance (it is an hour if you run the rpm low and lean it out), but I have to say the e-mail shook me up a bit. I'd love to give my student the benefit of the doubt, but I suspect that he didn't secure the cap after we checked the fuel levels. Normally if nothing else I will always check the oil level and fuel caps/quantity before entering an airplane. On this occasion I neglected that duty as PIC and assumed that my student would properly secure the caps.

They always say it's the third or fourth mistake that kills you. I'm just glad we weren't out practicing spins and I spoke up to ATC when I did. This was a wake up call.

I think it would be great if you guys can share similar stories of the time you "got away with one." It would definitely make me feel like less of an idiot and hopefully ensure that none of us make similar mistakes in the future.

Soku39 · May 1st, 2008, 03:01

A similar thing happened to me while flying around for about 1.5, on half tanks in a 152. I parked the plane but upon going to twist the gas cap off to fill it up, found that there was not one to be found. Talk about a chill going down your spine, you're basically just standing there trying to figure out how you could possibly make the mistake after preflighting an airplane hundreds of times before. Lucky I didn't pull too many negative Gs so there was still gas in the plane, but sheesh, it was an awful feeling, had no one to blame but myself too. The cap was later found in the grass by the piano keys with it's chain still attached. Apparently I lost it turning from the taxiway onto the runway. Live and learn, live and learn.

KLB · May 1st, 2008, 07:48

Been there, done that, ant have the t-shirt to prove it. Only difference is that I was in the pattern with my student and one of the other instructors noticed that fuel was spraying out of the left right wing. The funny thing about it was that I was just making fun of another instructor that had the same thing happen to him a couple of weeks prior.

We used to have to taxi to the other side of the airport to refuel at the gas pump. Typically after a student had soloed, we began sending them by themselves to refuel. When these incidents occurred it usually was because the student left the gas cap sitting on top of the pump.

A few smacks to the back of my students head prevented him from ever doing that again.

jrh · May 1st, 2008, 09:18

I flew way too close to developing thunderstorms once with a student, all because I had an ego and get-there-itis. Hands down, stupidest thing I've ever done. Worst turbulence I've ever felt and I wasn't sure if the wings were going to stay on.

Other than that, I'm perfect

Hacker15e · May 1st, 2008, 09:24

I flew a 4-hour combat sortie over Iraq during the opening "shootin' war" part without the shoulder straps connected to my chute.

That would have been an interesting ejection should anything bad have happened to my jet.

The reason why?

My WSO was being interviewed by a TV crew before the flight, so my strapping-in habit patterns were broken as we just sat there in the cockpit for 20-30 minutes during the interview.

Lesson learned: "Do normal things normally". Be careful not to get out of habit patterns established in training, especially when things are non-standard.

Of an even larger discussion topic, how about checklist useage (which we are very poor about in the fighter business..), which would have eliminated the problem.

Hacker15e · May 1st, 2008, 09:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soku39

Lucky I didn't pull too many negative Gs so there was still gas in the plane

I'm thinking there was a lot more wrong with that airplane if pulling on the controls resulted in negative G!

Soku39 · May 1st, 2008, 11:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hacker15e

I'm thinking there was a lot more wrong with that airplane if pulling on the controls resulted in negative G!

I dunno, I coulda been out doin' the whole roller coaster feeling type stuff or lazy 8s, maybe even some head to the ceiling turbulence or something else that woulda dumped gas out.

Soku39 · May 1st, 2008, 11:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hacker15e

how about checklist useage (which we are very poor about in the fighter business..), which would have eliminated the problem.

I think everyone is bad sometimes, no matter what the business, once they get real comfortable and know it all, makes you end up doing asinine things like forgetting to turn the Xponder, or burningf up a landing light for an hour.

Schinpop · May 1st, 2008, 12:10

A few months ago, I trusted my student a bit too much and took off with the pitot cover installed. Funny thing was, the AI worked good enough to show us adequate speed for rotation, but not much else. This was in a 152 and the pitot cover was missing the orange streamer.

As for the gas caps, I try to always walk around the back of the airplane prior to boarding. You can see both caps from there.

Maurus · May 1st, 2008, 12:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soku39

I dunno, I coulda been out doin' the whole roller coaster feeling type stuff or lazy 8s, maybe even some head to the ceiling turbulence or something else that woulda dumped gas out.

He is attacking you wording. You can't "pull" negative G's :P

SteveC · May 1st, 2008, 12:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maurus

You can't "pull" negative G's :P

Inverted?

jtrain609 · May 1st, 2008, 12:50

So I was in a negative six G dive...

Sorry, somebody needed to say it.

Soku39 · May 1st, 2008, 17:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by jtrain609

So I was in a negative six G dive...

the ole -6 yessssssss.

Point taken on the whole "pulling" thing though.

mhcasey · May 1st, 2008, 18:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveC

Inverted?

SteveC the veteran, you were joking here, right?

SteveC · May 1st, 2008, 19:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by mhcasey

SteveC the veteran, you were joking here, right?

Haven't you noticed yet that I have no sense of humor? Lost it in the war. Shot clean off.

texas17 · May 1st, 2008, 19:56

So that is the story behind the email this morning.

One experience that I will remember was flying down the eastern coast of Florida on a summer afternoon. Skipped a stop for fuel cause I "knew" I would be fine. Afternoon thunderstorms popped up and Bravo airspace around MCO had me going zigzag around the area. Got home safe with just under a hour of fuel. After the flight I realized there where so many other things I could/should have done instead of trying to push through it.

flyguy · May 1st, 2008, 20:57

Okay I got one. My student and I were about to embark on a cross-country flight. He checked the oil and it was slightly low, and we both agreed it would be wise to add a quart, especially considering it was a long flight. It was a 172, and as with most GA aircraft had the dipstick attached to the oil cap. We pulled the dipstick out, wiped it off, and set it on the foot peg to rest while we poured the oil with a makeshift funnel made out of a piece of notebook paper. We hopped in, took off, flew all the way to our cross-country destination, did 3 touch and go's, flew all the way back and landed. As we taxied in the fuel truck was there, waiting to give the plane a top off for the next student, and as we parked, the fueler was just staring in the vicinity of bottom of the right door/engine cowling. As I stepped out of the plane he said "Am I going crazy, or is your dipstick resting on the foot peg?" Sure enough, there it was. I'm not only amazed that we were lucky the enigne didn't lose oil and seize up on us, I am also amazed that it just rested there the enitre flight and didn't fall off. Probably the craziest thing I've ever seen.