Aircraft efficiency is the most sought after characteristic, especially by private aircraft owners. However, several factors including the efficiency of an aircrafts exhaust, muffler, engine mount, and fuel consumption impact the fuel efficiency directly or indirectly.
One factor that can impact the performance of your aircraft significantly in terms of fuel consumption is a phenomenon known as fuel starvation. The following blog post explains fuel starvation, its causes, and recommends some measures that can help you avoid it.
Fuel Starvation
As defined by ATSB, fuel starvation is a situation where the aircraft stops using fuel or the fuel supply is interrupted despite having enough fuel in the tank. It should come as no surprise that all fuel starvation events are related to the aircraft’s fuel system.
The same report states that the blockages due to the presence of foreign elements, constitute 27% of fuel starvation accidents. While 32% of fuel starvation accidents were caused by human error or mismanagement from pilots.
Fuel Starvation Vs Fuel Exhaustion
Fuel exhaustion is when the aircraft becomes devoid of fuel while in starvation the system stops getting the fuel even if it has plenty on board.
Although fuel starvation is a common phenomenon, fuel exhaustion is more likely to happen. However, the outcomes of both events are almost the same making it difficult to recognize the cause of the problem immediately. The outcomes of both fuel exhaustion and starvation include:
- Forced landing
- Engine failure
- Control flight in terrain
Nevertheless, in the event of fuel starvation, you still have fuel in the tank and with the correct measures, you can regain the flow of the fuel during the flight.
Causes Of Fuel Starvation
There are three basic causes and contributors to fuel starvation. They include:
Pilot related factors
These are by far the most common cause of all fuel-related accidents and problems of aircraft.
Fuel Mismanagement: this can happen when the pilot forgets to change the fuel tank when required, switch to the wrong fuel tank, or simply doesn’t measure the fuel burn during the flight. Most of the time, the problem with poor fuel management arises due to a lack of knowledge about fuel systems.
Lack Of Experience: lack of aircraft familiarity about the type of aircraft the pilot is operating can lead to accidents. New pilots are prone to make more mistakes as compared to their experienced colleagues.
Distractions: oftentimes pilots allow fuel starvation to occur because they were preoccupied with other tasks like changing the landing gear.
Mechanical Problems
Another reason that can lead to fuel starvation is a mechanical problem in your fuel tanks. There can be a leak in the tank or simply a failure in the fuel system. A poorly maintained aircraft has more chances of experiencing mechanical problems during flight as compared to an optimally maintained aircraft.
Read More: Common Aircraft Maintenance Hazards To Avoid At All Costs
Early recognition and mitigation are key to preventing the problem from converting into a fatal accident. Problems with carburetors, fuel gauges, filters, and fuel lines must be inspected. Monitoring the fuel burn and status of fuel in the tank is key to recognizing possible fuel starvation.
Design-factors
The type of fuel system and engine control designs when combined with pilot errors can lead to fuel starvation, but is a very rare phenomenon.
Recommendations
Good knowledge about the aircraft's performance, in-depth understanding of gauges, logbooks, and monitoring the level of fuel in the tank is necessary to avoid fuel starvation. The areas that have the biggest room for improvement to avoid unpleasant fuel system failure events are:
- Pilot training and experience
- Emphasizing the responsibility of monitoring the fuel level when on board
- Knowing about the aircraft characteristics linked to refueling, and visual checks
- Precise knowledge of fuel checks including the flight time elapsed.
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Acorn Welding is a trusted and highly qualified aviation welding company in Edmonton. We have the latest product designs and manufacturing capabilities required for safe aircraft welding. Removing a leaking fuel tank from an aircraft is a job you only want to have to do once. Welded by qualified and experienced technicians every fuel tank repair receives three leak tests - an air pressure leak test, a liquid fill leak test, and finally a liquid penetrant inspection. Want to have a trusted welder and manufacturer of aircraft components on board, contact us now.
