An US Airways Airbus A320
Photo: 123RF
What happens if a plane runs out of fuel during take-off or cruising at high altitude?
It is highly unlikely for a plane to “run out” of fuel during take-off.
This response is focused on commercial airplanes where their operations are tightly regulated.
Before take-off, airliners carry a significant amount of fuel onboard.
The fuel planning for a typical flight includes the total fuel required to complete the journey safely. This encompasses the take-off, climb, cruise, descent, approach and landing.
Additional fuel is also carried – it includes contingency fuel (around 5% of trip fuel), alternate fuel on arrival at the destination, final reserve fuel (30 minutes duration), taxi fuel and any extra fuel at the captain’s discretion for unforeseen circumstances.
Moreover, captains may carry extra fuel to comply with specific regulatory or company requirements such as flying to remote destinations without alternate airports.
Considering all these factors, it is highly unlikely that a plane would ever “run out” of fuel during take-off.
A plane will only run out of fuel if both the fuel system malfunction due to mechanical reasons and the engines fail simultaneously. This is also a highly unlikely event.
Although rare, there have been two accidents where the captain successfully landed the plane under such circumstances.
On January 15, 2009, a US Airways Airbus A320 struck a flock of birds shortly after take-off from LaGuardia airport, resulting in a complete loss of engine power. The captain skilfully glided the plane onto the river, saving all 155 people on board.
On August 15, 2019, a Ural Airlines Airbus A321 crash-landed successfully on a field southeast of Moscow after hitting a passing flock of gulls and losing two engines.
There have been also instances where engines ran out of fuel during high-altitude cruising but were caused by a combination of mechanical and human errors.
Fortunately, both incidents had positive outcomes and the planes landed safely.
On August 23, 1983, an Air Canada Boeing 767 experienced fuel exhaustion at 41,000 feet while flying from Ontario to Edmonton in Canada. The aircraft ran out of fuel due to a malfunctioning fuel gauge and incorrect refueling calculations – confusing kilograms with pounds.
The crew adeptly glided and landed the plane, now named the Gimli Glider on a decommissioned runway.
On August 24, 2001, an Air Transat Airbus A330 suffered a fuel leak over the Atlantic Ocean at FL390 while flying from Toronto to Lisbon.
A fuel leak due to improper maintenance on the right engine had caused the aircraft to run out of fuel. The pilots successfully landed the plane at Lajes Air Base in the Azores, saving all 306 lives on board.
Planes rarely run out of fuel during take-off but it can happen during cruising at high altitude. However, such occurrences are extremely rare and typically involve a combination of mechanical and human errors.
View YouTube video on ‘The Miracle On The Hudson River’
here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nM6MN7cHo8
View YouTube video on ‘The 1983 “Gimli Glider” Incident’