File No. 2561-41
- 3 -
As a result of this accident, American Airlines has instructed its pilots not to change the fuel selector valve from the left main tank during flight between Fort Worth and Dallas, but to make the entire flight on the left main tank. (This carrier does not allow a plane to be dispatched unless the left main tank is full.) In a further effort to prevent accidents of this nature, American Airlines is now attaching to the pilot's clearance a copy of the gasoline slip showing the actual amount of gasoline in each tank at the time of take-off, which will serve as a check on the accuracy of the gasoline gauges.
PROBABLE CAUSE: Improper functioning of a gasoline gauge.
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS:
- Failure of the captain to realize exhaustion of the gasoline supply as a probable cause of engine trouble, when that trouble was first experienced, and to turn the fuel selector valves to another tank in time to prevent complete failure of both engines.
- Low cruising altitude.
- Complete dependence of the operating personnel upon a fuel gauge for information as to the contents of the tanks, through failure to include in the flight-clearance routine any statement to the captain of the actual measured contents of each tank.
BY THE BOARD
/s/ Darwin Charles Brown
Secretary
