Narrative:

Possible violation of 91.103. Taking off on an IFR flight without adequate preflight preparation. On the night of feb/jj/95, I departed on a scheduled run in an aeronautical commander 680FL (AC68). It was my first time on this particular run. I had previously flown into all the airports except the final destination, and I flew the AC 68 regularly. As part of my preparation I talked with a pilot who normally flies the run, and the company director of training. We talked about where to part at the different airports, how to load the airplane, how to get to the motel after I was done. They did not mention, and of course it was my responsibility to find out, that the last airport had a part time control zone. My company flies into this airport 6 nights a week. I assumed that there was some sort of official WX reporting at the airport. My first clue should have come from my preflight briefing. The briefer did not give me destination WX. He gave me the WX at a nearby airport. The briefer did not mention that the report he had from the destination airport was the last one of the day. When he did not give me the WX at the destination, I was thinking it was missing temporarily, or it was a late observation. Actually the airport is served by a temporary control zone. The next day, my chief pilot told me that I was supposed to call the airport manager when the WX was down. The airport manager would get out of bed and make a WX observation for us. The company plans to make written instructions for each route that they fly so that important information will be passed along to new pilots on the rtes. I made normal preflight planning preparations, and I felt comfortable about the flight. The route of flight normally has 3 stops. Normally we drop off and pick up cargo at all points and take on fuel at the first. On this evening, the first stop was forecast to go as low as 100 ft overcast, with possible light to moderate ice in the clouds. There was no cargo for that stop and the latest hourly showed 300 overcast, light rain and a surface temperature near freezing. I was concerned about ice. I elected to add fuel after the aircraft was loaded and overfly this airport. During my WX brief I designated cheyenne, as the alternate. I determined that after going to my destination then the alternate, there would be 48 mins of fuel on board. Depending on who does the fuel calculations, it may be inferred that I departed without adequate IFR fuel reserves. If I did, it was not from willful intent. The trip was uneventful and on schedule until the destination. I shot the VOR approach twice and missed both times. Instead of going to the alternate, I chose to return to the previous stop. I had easily made it in on the ILS an hour earlier, the WX was essentially the same, and I would have a tailwind going back. The distance was only slightly longer, 108 mi to the previous stop verses 102 mi to the alternate. On the way back, I had an emergency. The left engine quit after switching from the auxiliary tank to the center tank. Both auxiliary tanks were low when I switched, because I was trying to leave as much fuel as possible in the center tank for the approach and landing. I went through aircraft emergency procedures, and allowed some time for the left engine to restart on the center tank. It did not. I declared emergency and landed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSUFFICIENT WX BRIEFING CAUSES PLT TO LEAVE WITH INADEQUATE FUEL.

Narrative: POSSIBLE VIOLATION OF 91.103. TAKING OFF ON AN IFR FLT WITHOUT ADEQUATE PREFLT PREPARATION. ON THE NIGHT OF FEB/JJ/95, I DEPARTED ON A SCHEDULED RUN IN AN AERO COMMANDER 680FL (AC68). IT WAS MY FIRST TIME ON THIS PARTICULAR RUN. I HAD PREVIOUSLY FLOWN INTO ALL THE ARPTS EXCEPT THE FINAL DEST, AND I FLEW THE AC 68 REGULARLY. AS PART OF MY PREPARATION I TALKED WITH A PLT WHO NORMALLY FLIES THE RUN, AND THE COMPANY DIRECTOR OF TRAINING. WE TALKED ABOUT WHERE TO PART AT THE DIFFERENT ARPTS, HOW TO LOAD THE AIRPLANE, HOW TO GET TO THE MOTEL AFTER I WAS DONE. THEY DID NOT MENTION, AND OF COURSE IT WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO FIND OUT, THAT THE LAST ARPT HAD A PART TIME CTL ZONE. MY COMPANY FLIES INTO THIS ARPT 6 NIGHTS A WK. I ASSUMED THAT THERE WAS SOME SORT OF OFFICIAL WX RPTING AT THE ARPT. MY FIRST CLUE SHOULD HAVE COME FROM MY PREFLT BRIEFING. THE BRIEFER DID NOT GIVE ME DEST WX. HE GAVE ME THE WX AT A NEARBY ARPT. THE BRIEFER DID NOT MENTION THAT THE RPT HE HAD FROM THE DEST ARPT WAS THE LAST ONE OF THE DAY. WHEN HE DID NOT GIVE ME THE WX AT THE DEST, I WAS THINKING IT WAS MISSING TEMPORARILY, OR IT WAS A LATE OBSERVATION. ACTUALLY THE ARPT IS SERVED BY A TEMPORARY CTL ZONE. THE NEXT DAY, MY CHIEF PLT TOLD ME THAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO CALL THE ARPT MGR WHEN THE WX WAS DOWN. THE ARPT MGR WOULD GET OUT OF BED AND MAKE A WX OBSERVATION FOR US. THE COMPANY PLANS TO MAKE WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS FOR EACH RTE THAT THEY FLY SO THAT IMPORTANT INFO WILL BE PASSED ALONG TO NEW PLTS ON THE RTES. I MADE NORMAL PREFLT PLANNING PREPARATIONS, AND I FELT COMFORTABLE ABOUT THE FLT. THE RTE OF FLT NORMALLY HAS 3 STOPS. NORMALLY WE DROP OFF AND PICK UP CARGO AT ALL POINTS AND TAKE ON FUEL AT THE FIRST. ON THIS EVENING, THE FIRST STOP WAS FORECAST TO GO AS LOW AS 100 FT OVCST, WITH POSSIBLE LIGHT TO MODERATE ICE IN THE CLOUDS. THERE WAS NO CARGO FOR THAT STOP AND THE LATEST HRLY SHOWED 300 OVCST, LIGHT RAIN AND A SURFACE TEMP NEAR FREEZING. I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT ICE. I ELECTED TO ADD FUEL AFTER THE ACFT WAS LOADED AND OVERFLY THIS ARPT. DURING MY WX BRIEF I DESIGNATED CHEYENNE, AS THE ALTERNATE. I DETERMINED THAT AFTER GOING TO MY DEST THEN THE ALTERNATE, THERE WOULD BE 48 MINS OF FUEL ON BOARD. DEPENDING ON WHO DOES THE FUEL CALCULATIONS, IT MAY BE INFERRED THAT I DEPARTED WITHOUT ADEQUATE IFR FUEL RESERVES. IF I DID, IT WAS NOT FROM WILLFUL INTENT. THE TRIP WAS UNEVENTFUL AND ON SCHEDULE UNTIL THE DEST. I SHOT THE VOR APCH TWICE AND MISSED BOTH TIMES. INSTEAD OF GOING TO THE ALTERNATE, I CHOSE TO RETURN TO THE PREVIOUS STOP. I HAD EASILY MADE IT IN ON THE ILS AN HR EARLIER, THE WX WAS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME, AND I WOULD HAVE A TAILWIND GOING BACK. THE DISTANCE WAS ONLY SLIGHTLY LONGER, 108 MI TO THE PREVIOUS STOP VERSES 102 MI TO THE ALTERNATE. ON THE WAY BACK, I HAD AN EMER. THE L ENG QUIT AFTER SWITCHING FROM THE AUX TANK TO THE CTR TANK. BOTH AUX TANKS WERE LOW WHEN I SWITCHED, BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO LEAVE AS MUCH FUEL AS POSSIBLE IN THE CTR TANK FOR THE APCH AND LNDG. I WENT THROUGH ACFT EMER PROCS, AND ALLOWED SOME TIME FOR THE L ENG TO RESTART ON THE CTR TANK. IT DID NOT. I DECLARED EMER AND LANDED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.