Airline Fuel Woes Fuel Safety Controversy
posted 6:55 pm Thu November 08, 2007 - New York
Pilot: "We are minimum fuel, sir."
Air Traffic Control: "You're declaring an emergency at this time, the time is now 22:57. I need the souls on board and fuel in pounds when you arrive.
Pilot: Copy that. 157 souls on board; we have exactly 38 minutes of fuel remaining.
ATC: 38 minutes of fuel - that is an emergency.
Controllers gave the plane priority landing. It safely touched down with just minutes of fuel remaining.
WABC's examination of thousands of airport operational logs, air traffic tapes and interviews with pilots and controllers indicates airlines may be pushing the margin of safety by cutting back on the amount of fuel per flight, possibly - the investigation alleges- putting passengers at risk:
During a six-month period at Newark's Liberty International in 2005, just five flights landed under minimum or low fuel conditions. During a similar period in 2007, 73 flights came into Newark with minimum fuel. An additional 10 flights had to declare the more serious 'emergency fuel situation', meaning they needed to land immediately or they risked running out of gas.
"I had one just last week that happened," said air traffic controller Ray Adams.
Adams says in the past two years, he's noticed an astounding increase in the number of flights coming into Newark under minimum or emergency fuel conditions.
"When aircraft come into our airport at Newark with a minimum fuel state, they become a priority for us and its an extra focus of attention on that aircraft which increases the complexity of your already complex operation," says Adams.
The FAA requires airlines to carry additional fuel in case of unexpected delays, but pilots tell WABC that some airlines are putting pressure on them to cut back on this fuel safety cushion to save money.
Before Captain Bruce Meyer retired last year, he said he was called on the carpet for carrying too much fuel.
"I was specifically called in and asked why I was adding fuel as many times as I had been adding. which I had to explain the reasons which were air traffic control delays that I knew about every morning," he said.
Meyer said he faced competing pressures: carrying less fuel at a time when there are more and more in-flight delays. He claims he had to fudge the numbers to maintain safety.
"I had to use different ruses to make the paperwork or hide the fact that I was putting fuel on board, but my responsibility as captain is to my passengers, my aircraft, my crew, and to the safety of that flight," he said.
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