Narrative:

I was told that there was 600 psi in the portable oxygen system that was onboard. I was unfamiliar with this type of system since the airplane I had been flying had an oxygen system installed. I didn't think too much about this thinking that I could finish my route and have 200 psi to spare. And since the rest of my route kept me away from base; the company would frown on me getting someone else to refill it. On my last leg; I took off and climbed up to 17000 ft over high mountains. At this point I had been on duty since XA30 and was going on hour 13. I was happy to be heading home; and was looking forward to a decent meal. Halfway to my destination; I realized that I was no longer receiving oxygen from/through my mask. I checked the tank and rechecked it and found that I had run out of oxygen. I asked ATC for a diversion to the nearest airport and a descent to the lowest altitude possible. This incident was caused by 3 probs: 1) I relied on the word of another pilot for how much oxygen was in the tank and I didn't verify it. 2) I wasn't familiar with the system and I was not able to control the flow of oxygen; therefore; running out of oxygen sooner than expected. 3) be trained properly in the different systems in use by the company. To correct these issues; I suggest: 1) recheck; double-check; and preflight thoroughly. 2) be familiar with the systems in use and have proper training on these systems. 3) use the appropriate manuals to calculate the required amount of oxygen for the flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA31 pilot reports running out of oxygen at 17000 ft and diverting to nearest suitable airport.

Narrative: I was told that there was 600 psi in the portable oxygen system that was onboard. I was unfamiliar with this type of system since the airplane I had been flying had an oxygen system installed. I didn't think too much about this thinking that I could finish my route and have 200 psi to spare. And since the rest of my route kept me away from base; the company would frown on me getting someone else to refill it. On my last leg; I took off and climbed up to 17000 ft over high mountains. At this point I had been on duty since XA30 and was going on hour 13. I was happy to be heading home; and was looking forward to a decent meal. Halfway to my destination; I realized that I was no longer receiving oxygen from/through my mask. I checked the tank and rechecked it and found that I had run out of oxygen. I asked ATC for a diversion to the nearest airport and a descent to the lowest altitude possible. This incident was caused by 3 probs: 1) I relied on the word of another pilot for how much oxygen was in the tank and I didn't verify it. 2) I wasn't familiar with the system and I was not able to control the flow of oxygen; therefore; running out of oxygen sooner than expected. 3) Be trained properly in the different systems in use by the company. To correct these issues; I suggest: 1) Recheck; double-check; and preflight thoroughly. 2) Be familiar with the systems in use and have proper training on these systems. 3) Use the appropriate manuals to calculate the required amount of oxygen for the flight.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 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.