Pilots' reports on low fuel

[August 09, 2008]  (AP) -- The Aviation Safety Reporting System - a database maintained by NASA - has reports from pilots expressing safety concerns about airline directives pressuring them to fly with uncomfortably low fuel levels. NASA deletes names and other identifying information to encourage pilots, flight crews, dispatchers and others to identify safety problems, including their own mistakes.

Some reports:

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In March, the captain of an Embraer 170 regional jet described landing with less fuel than required under Federal Aviation Administration regulations, which he blamed on his company's fuel policies.

"I know our program manager is ranking captains on landing with less fuel. I don't care to be ranked. I think this is a safety problem and I believe fuel is your friend," the captain said. "Looking back, I would have liked more gas yesterday, and I was already carrying tanker fuel. If I wouldn't have had this extra there would have been real problems."

(Tanker fuel is the extra fuel a plane might carry to avoid refueling in a place where the cost is very high.)

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The captain of a Boeing 747 said he began to run low on fuel after meeting strong headwinds over the Atlantic en route to JFK in New York in February. After contacting his company to discuss a refueling stop, the captain said he was told by his operations manager that the flight actually needed less fuel than had been loaded on board and would have enough to get to JFK without stopping.

But by the time he reached JFK, his fuel was "far below my comfort zone and probably less than the minimum fuel required by the FARs (federal aviation regulations)," the captain said. "Our fuel situation had not become critical yet, but had we had any delay, I would have had to declare a fuel emergency."

"I am not sure if the 'flight plan' as given to me by my company was a real flight plan, or if they were just telling me it was so that I would continue to JFK ... thus saving them time and expense. ... In the future, if such a situation presents itself again, I will divert to my initial destination regardless of what my company says I can do. The safety of my crew far outweighs any financial burden to the company."

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The captain of a Boeing 737 en route to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in February said he was forced to divert in bad weather to Palm Beach International Airport to refuel because less than the normal amount of fuel for the flight was loaded before takeoff.

"This was probably the new fuel-saving initiative by the company management to save money," the captain said. "North-South operation is very unpredictable along the East Coast. I don't think this is a place where we should skimp on fuel."

The captain said he had a "lengthy discussion" with his company's dispatcher "relaying my opinion on the reduced fuel load and my suggestion not to compromise fuel loads in and out of Florida." But the captain said he received the same reduced amount on his next flight.

"So much for my professional input!" he said.

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The captain of an Airbus 319 said he was en route to Miami, but an unexpected rain storm forced the flight to divert to Ft. Lauderdale to refuel "because in an attempt to abide by the new fuel conservation procedures just adopted by the company, not enough fuel was put on the aircraft to handle a simple delay. ... In an effort to save money, an aircraft had to divert. The aircraft arrived at its destination two hours late. Finally, the pilots had to get off their trip early because of fatigue and because they would have flown nine hours and 40 minutes if they had continued on."

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The pilot of an Embraer 135 regional jet on an international flight in poor weather last December complained that his dispatcher wanted to load only an extra 10 minutes worth of fuel in case the flight had to hold before landing.

"Ten minutes of hold fuel remained unchanged because management is pressuring dispatch to fly with limited hold fuel to reduce 'costs,'" the captain said. "Ten minutes of hold fuel into an airport with marginal conditions because the dispatcher does not want his/her name on the fuel list for the week printed and hung by management. Contacted dispatcher and, after 'captain requested it,' fuel was begrudgingly added to 20 minutes to accurately reflect conditions. Low weather at an international destination with few alternatives close by and no gas to hold.

"Get management out of the dispatch process and stop pressuring dispatchers to cut fuel to below safe and normal levels. Create a profile for holding based on reality, not bonus program of a few in management."

[Associated Press]

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