Thread: Allegiant Air
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Old 12-19-2015 | 03:58 AM
  #972  
rokgpsman
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Jetliner's Low-Fuel Landing Draws U.S. FAA Reprimand to Airline

full story:
Jetliner's Low-Fuel Landing Draws U.S. FAA Reprimand to Airline - Bloomberg Business

excerpt:
The Federal Aviation Administration has reprimanded Allegiant Airlines because of a July incident in which two of its pilots declared they were so low on fuel they needed to make an emergency landing in Fargo, North Dakota.

The airline was issued a formal letter of correction -- something short of an enforcement action, in which the agency could assess a civil fine.

Allegiant Flight 426 to Fargo on July 23 left Las Vegas more than an hour late, arriving while the airport was closed to commercial traffic for an air show rehearsal, according to the FAA. The airline had been notified of the closing and it is the responsibility of pilots to read all such notices.

While Allegiant’s flight operations center initially told Fargo controllers the plane carried enough fuel, the FAA concluded the flight “did not appear to have adequate fuel,” according to a statement from the agency released this week. It didn’t specify whether they were in danger of actually running out.

When controllers radioed the flight crew that they would have to wait 20 minutes before landing, one pilot responded, “Yeah, I don’t have 20 minutes.” The crew rejected a suggestion they divert about 70 miles (113 kilometers) away to Grand Forks.

Bingo Fuel
The pilot then said the plane was nearing “bingo fuel,” military slang for flying on empty. U.S. rules require airliners to carry enough fuel to reach their destination, divert to another location and still have about 45 minutes of reserve.
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