by Ray Leis

Fuel-related accidents total about ten percent of all general aviation accidents each year. They take place at the rate of more than one a week, and are often fatal. If the Pilot-In-Command takes some reasonable care in planning and conducting the flight, this type of accident can almost always be prevented.

There are three main categories for fuel-related accidents: fuel exhaustion (running out of gas), fuel mismanagement/starvation (gas is aboard the aircraft but isn’t getting to the engine(s)) and fuel contamination (water-logged, improper or poor-quality fuel). …