Student Pilot Runs Out of Fuel – Episode 333

John Goglia and Todd Curtis examine an all-too-common aviation incident: fuel exhaustion.

Two pilots recently took off on a training flight that would start after midnight and end before dawn. They planned 10 takeoffs and landings at a towered airport, a 100-nautical-mile cross-country flight, refueling, and waiting until sunrise to practice additional maneuvers.

Unfortunately, they ran out of fuel short of the refueling stop and had to dodge wind turbines and power lines to safely land on a road. Because there were no damage or injuries, no report was published by the FAA or NTSB.

However, the incident was reported to the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS). John and Todd use that information to examine what happened and point out that they may have created avoidable dangers by planning to perform a challenging set of tasks for a single flight.

This episode also demonstrates how to use the ASRS to learn from those who submit reports, including events that could have ended in disaster. This episode could help you avoid this and other common aviation safety issues.

Resources:

NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) Fuel Exhaustion Events from 2025

Featured ASRS Fuel Exhaustion Event from 2025

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