Narrative:

Was picking up a C425 at pdx with its new owner, who needed a CFI in the plane despite just doing an initial. I checked the fuel load -- a little under 800 pounds. I thought this would be ok, since we were not going far, even though we hadn't picked a destination yet due to changing winter storms. The plane was in a hangar with no support and I had to dig up an APU in order to give my student a lesson on the avionics in this plane, most of which were new to him. I also had him do a detailed preflight, explaining various features of the C425. During the avionics lesson, we decided to go to rdm for the night, followed by lots of training on the way back to california the next day. I had him plug in a flight plan, then checked the mileage by zooming the RNAV display out until I saw 'rdm' at the end of our course line. Unfortunately, this was seen at the 50 NM scale, but only as 'advice' with a special symbol next to 'rdm,' because the actual distance was a little over 100 NM. We were in a hurry, so I took the distance as a little over 50 NM -- my first mistake. By the time we were towed out, got the clearance and were ready to start, I noticed that we only had bout 700 pounds of fuel. I thought that this would be ok, since I thought the flight would be less than 20 mins and even though the current ceiling was 400-500 ft with decent visibility, the forecast was for VFR with fairly high ceilings. I figured we would land with at least 400 pounds which was 48 mins and legal. This was also expeditious since there was no FBO on our side of pdx, the FBO at rdm was to close at XB00, and my student was in a hurry. So we started, taxied out and took off with 650 pounds, which concerned me a little. The flight went well until we leveled off in the clouds at 13000 ft. At this point or possibly during an intermediate leveloff at 9000 ft, I checked the mileage to go and it was 74 NM! I had to get busy for a few mins helping my student and checked again when the mileage was around 60 NM. We were now over the cascades approaching mount jefferson. I looked at the VFR moving map on our mfd in order to make a decision. Aurora and salem were closer than rdm, but not too much closer, our headwind was only 22 KTS and we would be there in less than 17 mins. Checked the rdm WX and it was at least a 5000 ft ceiling and the visibility was 10 mi. We had about 500 pounds of fuel minus the 150 pounds I figured it would take to get there, which had us landing with 350 pounds which was just under 45 mins -- the low fuel lights would have just illuminated. By the time I figured all of this out, we were less than 50 NM out. ATC gave us a delay vector behind 3 other arrs -- oh no! I then told them that I had misplanned my fuel and requested direct to the airport, promising to cancel IFR when we were below the clouds. They complied and I felt stupid. About 40 mi out, we were given a descent to 9000 ft, where we broke out. We had burned more fuel than I anticipated and were down to 300 pounds with the low fuel lights on when I canceled IFR about 25 mi out. I figured the gauges indicated fuel in a non linear fashion since we could not have burned that much fuel. We called tower and got a right downwind for runway 28. Picked up the runway about 10-15 mi out. I should have gotten a straight-in for runway 10, but did not want to alarm anyone or further confess my condition. I figured we would land with a little over 200 pounds or so and it was good VFR. Called downwind to tower, the ignitions and boost pumps were on and briefed my student on the importance of gentle turns in low fuel sits. As we passed midfield downwind, a bank of fog (tops greater than or equal to 900 ft AGL) extending from short final eastward about 7 mi, obscuring the final approach corridor became more and more apparent. I thought it may be between us and a clear corridor, so I let my student continue as it looked like we could find an opening to that corridor in a couple of mi. No opening found, so I had him fly directly to the airport, a heading of 240 degrees from our position, where I knew we could find the runway -- I did not want to do a go around. The runway threshold appeared to our left about 1/2 mi from the airport. I had him descend and start a modified right base, but he became disoriented and our airspeed dropped and dropped, so I took over then performed the short approach with a bank of fog to our left as we turned final, did a decent landing and taxied off of the runway with a little over 100 pounds a side. I had told the tower about the developing fog bank. When fueling the next morning, we topped off and found that we had about 8 gallons total, probably about 40 gallons when we landed, which is about 32 mins of fuel in the C425. The flight took 32 mins and I was really surprised we burned so much fuel so fast, but we were at low altitude. This would have been a very fun flight and great lesson had I planned properly. The problem arose from hurrying because of my student's anxiousness to get out of pdx, our decision to go to rdm being made at the last min -- I was lobbying for aurora due to WX (above freezing) and fuel, my concern that we would miss the FBO personnel and our car at rdm, from cursory flight planning and from disregarding my personal policy to always plan to land with at least 600 pounds of fuel in the C425. Additional contributing factors are unfamiliarity with oregon and my student's lack of familiarity with the plane keeping me so busy as an instructor.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR PLT AND STUDENT TAKE OFF IN UNFAMILIAR C425 INTO FREEZING IMC, IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, WITH INDETERMINATE AMOUNT OF FUEL ON BOARD, MISPROGRAMMED OR INTERPED NAV SYS AND, NOT SURPRISINGLY, ARRIVE AT LAST MIN DEST WITH ALMOST NO FUEL.

Narrative: WAS PICKING UP A C425 AT PDX WITH ITS NEW OWNER, WHO NEEDED A CFI IN THE PLANE DESPITE JUST DOING AN INITIAL. I CHKED THE FUEL LOAD -- A LITTLE UNDER 800 LBS. I THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE OK, SINCE WE WERE NOT GOING FAR, EVEN THOUGH WE HADN'T PICKED A DEST YET DUE TO CHANGING WINTER STORMS. THE PLANE WAS IN A HANGAR WITH NO SUPPORT AND I HAD TO DIG UP AN APU IN ORDER TO GIVE MY STUDENT A LESSON ON THE AVIONICS IN THIS PLANE, MOST OF WHICH WERE NEW TO HIM. I ALSO HAD HIM DO A DETAILED PREFLT, EXPLAINING VARIOUS FEATURES OF THE C425. DURING THE AVIONICS LESSON, WE DECIDED TO GO TO RDM FOR THE NIGHT, FOLLOWED BY LOTS OF TRAINING ON THE WAY BACK TO CALIFORNIA THE NEXT DAY. I HAD HIM PLUG IN A FLT PLAN, THEN CHKED THE MILEAGE BY ZOOMING THE RNAV DISPLAY OUT UNTIL I SAW 'RDM' AT THE END OF OUR COURSE LINE. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS WAS SEEN AT THE 50 NM SCALE, BUT ONLY AS 'ADVICE' WITH A SPECIAL SYMBOL NEXT TO 'RDM,' BECAUSE THE ACTUAL DISTANCE WAS A LITTLE OVER 100 NM. WE WERE IN A HURRY, SO I TOOK THE DISTANCE AS A LITTLE OVER 50 NM -- MY FIRST MISTAKE. BY THE TIME WE WERE TOWED OUT, GOT THE CLRNC AND WERE READY TO START, I NOTICED THAT WE ONLY HAD BOUT 700 LBS OF FUEL. I THOUGHT THAT THIS WOULD BE OK, SINCE I THOUGHT THE FLT WOULD BE LESS THAN 20 MINS AND EVEN THOUGH THE CURRENT CEILING WAS 400-500 FT WITH DECENT VISIBILITY, THE FORECAST WAS FOR VFR WITH FAIRLY HIGH CEILINGS. I FIGURED WE WOULD LAND WITH AT LEAST 400 LBS WHICH WAS 48 MINS AND LEGAL. THIS WAS ALSO EXPEDITIOUS SINCE THERE WAS NO FBO ON OUR SIDE OF PDX, THE FBO AT RDM WAS TO CLOSE AT XB00, AND MY STUDENT WAS IN A HURRY. SO WE STARTED, TAXIED OUT AND TOOK OFF WITH 650 LBS, WHICH CONCERNED ME A LITTLE. THE FLT WENT WELL UNTIL WE LEVELED OFF IN THE CLOUDS AT 13000 FT. AT THIS POINT OR POSSIBLY DURING AN INTERMEDIATE LEVELOFF AT 9000 FT, I CHKED THE MILEAGE TO GO AND IT WAS 74 NM! I HAD TO GET BUSY FOR A FEW MINS HELPING MY STUDENT AND CHKED AGAIN WHEN THE MILEAGE WAS AROUND 60 NM. WE WERE NOW OVER THE CASCADES APCHING MOUNT JEFFERSON. I LOOKED AT THE VFR MOVING MAP ON OUR MFD IN ORDER TO MAKE A DECISION. AURORA AND SALEM WERE CLOSER THAN RDM, BUT NOT TOO MUCH CLOSER, OUR HEADWIND WAS ONLY 22 KTS AND WE WOULD BE THERE IN LESS THAN 17 MINS. CHKED THE RDM WX AND IT WAS AT LEAST A 5000 FT CEILING AND THE VISIBILITY WAS 10 MI. WE HAD ABOUT 500 LBS OF FUEL MINUS THE 150 LBS I FIGURED IT WOULD TAKE TO GET THERE, WHICH HAD US LNDG WITH 350 LBS WHICH WAS JUST UNDER 45 MINS -- THE LOW FUEL LIGHTS WOULD HAVE JUST ILLUMINATED. BY THE TIME I FIGURED ALL OF THIS OUT, WE WERE LESS THAN 50 NM OUT. ATC GAVE US A DELAY VECTOR BEHIND 3 OTHER ARRS -- OH NO! I THEN TOLD THEM THAT I HAD MISPLANNED MY FUEL AND REQUESTED DIRECT TO THE ARPT, PROMISING TO CANCEL IFR WHEN WE WERE BELOW THE CLOUDS. THEY COMPLIED AND I FELT STUPID. ABOUT 40 MI OUT, WE WERE GIVEN A DSCNT TO 9000 FT, WHERE WE BROKE OUT. WE HAD BURNED MORE FUEL THAN I ANTICIPATED AND WERE DOWN TO 300 LBS WITH THE LOW FUEL LIGHTS ON WHEN I CANCELED IFR ABOUT 25 MI OUT. I FIGURED THE GAUGES INDICATED FUEL IN A NON LINEAR FASHION SINCE WE COULD NOT HAVE BURNED THAT MUCH FUEL. WE CALLED TWR AND GOT A R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 28. PICKED UP THE RWY ABOUT 10-15 MI OUT. I SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN A STRAIGHT-IN FOR RWY 10, BUT DID NOT WANT TO ALARM ANYONE OR FURTHER CONFESS MY CONDITION. I FIGURED WE WOULD LAND WITH A LITTLE OVER 200 LBS OR SO AND IT WAS GOOD VFR. CALLED DOWNWIND TO TWR, THE IGNITIONS AND BOOST PUMPS WERE ON AND BRIEFED MY STUDENT ON THE IMPORTANCE OF GENTLE TURNS IN LOW FUEL SITS. AS WE PASSED MIDFIELD DOWNWIND, A BANK OF FOG (TOPS GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO 900 FT AGL) EXTENDING FROM SHORT FINAL EASTWARD ABOUT 7 MI, OBSCURING THE FINAL APCH CORRIDOR BECAME MORE AND MORE APPARENT. I THOUGHT IT MAY BE BTWN US AND A CLR CORRIDOR, SO I LET MY STUDENT CONTINUE AS IT LOOKED LIKE WE COULD FIND AN OPENING TO THAT CORRIDOR IN A COUPLE OF MI. NO OPENING FOUND, SO I HAD HIM FLY DIRECTLY TO THE ARPT, A HDG OF 240 DEGS FROM OUR POS, WHERE I KNEW WE COULD FIND THE RWY -- I DID NOT WANT TO DO A GAR. THE RWY THRESHOLD APPEARED TO OUR L ABOUT 1/2 MI FROM THE ARPT. I HAD HIM DSND AND START A MODIFIED R BASE, BUT HE BECAME DISORIENTED AND OUR AIRSPD DROPPED AND DROPPED, SO I TOOK OVER THEN PERFORMED THE SHORT APCH WITH A BANK OF FOG TO OUR L AS WE TURNED FINAL, DID A DECENT LNDG AND TAXIED OFF OF THE RWY WITH A LITTLE OVER 100 LBS A SIDE. I HAD TOLD THE TWR ABOUT THE DEVELOPING FOG BANK. WHEN FUELING THE NEXT MORNING, WE TOPPED OFF AND FOUND THAT WE HAD ABOUT 8 GALLONS TOTAL, PROBABLY ABOUT 40 GALLONS WHEN WE LANDED, WHICH IS ABOUT 32 MINS OF FUEL IN THE C425. THE FLT TOOK 32 MINS AND I WAS REALLY SURPRISED WE BURNED SO MUCH FUEL SO FAST, BUT WE WERE AT LOW ALT. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A VERY FUN FLT AND GREAT LESSON HAD I PLANNED PROPERLY. THE PROB AROSE FROM HURRYING BECAUSE OF MY STUDENT'S ANXIOUSNESS TO GET OUT OF PDX, OUR DECISION TO GO TO RDM BEING MADE AT THE LAST MIN -- I WAS LOBBYING FOR AURORA DUE TO WX (ABOVE FREEZING) AND FUEL, MY CONCERN THAT WE WOULD MISS THE FBO PERSONNEL AND OUR CAR AT RDM, FROM CURSORY FLT PLANNING AND FROM DISREGARDING MY PERSONAL POLICY TO ALWAYS PLAN TO LAND WITH AT LEAST 600 LBS OF FUEL IN THE C425. ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTING FACTORS ARE UNFAMILIARITY WITH OREGON AND MY STUDENT'S LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE PLANE KEEPING ME SO BUSY AS AN INSTRUCTOR.

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.