Tank Awareness on the Second Approach

Departing Venice Municipal Airport (KVNC), Venice, FL — Runway 13, a 50-minute local flight to a nearby field and back. Elevation 18 ft MSL. Clear skies, light winds, 1200 local. You are a Private pilot with 180 hours total time, current on the Piper Cherokee 180. This is a familiar route — you have flown it a dozen times.

Preflight: You visually checked both fuel tanks — left tank appeared three-quarters full, right tank appeared one-quarter full. You did not dip the tanks with a fuel stick; you relied on the sight gauges. The fuel selector is set to LEFT for takeoff. You plan to switch to the right tank en route to balance consumption, then return to the left tank for the approach and landing.

Takeoff and climb: Runway 13 departure, climbing to 2,500 ft MSL, heading 135° toward your destination. The flight is smooth, the engine is running normally, and you are in no hurry. At 1,500 ft AGL (roughly 1,520 ft MSL), you level off and cruise at 2,500 ft MSL. The left tank is feeding the engine; you estimate you have burned 5–8 gallons so far.

At the destination: You arrive, circle the field, and decide to make a practice approach and go-around before landing. You enter a left downwind for Runway 13 (the reciprocal, heading 315°), descend to 1,500 ft AGL, and execute a go-around at 500 ft AGL. The engine is running normally. You climb back to 2,500 ft MSL.

The return leg: You are now heading back toward KVNC, still on the left tank. You have been on the left tank for the entire flight — roughly 50 minutes of cruise plus the practice approach. The left tank, which appeared three-quarters full at preflight, has now been feeding the engine for an hour. You have not switched to the right tank. You are descending toward KVNC for the landing.

At 1,500 ft AGL, 3 nm from KVNC, you decide to switch to the right tank to balance fuel for the approach and landing. You reach down and move the fuel selector from LEFT to RIGHT. Immediately — within 5 seconds — the engine begins to run rough. The RPM drops. You are on downwind, descending, 1,500 ft AGL, and the engine is losing power.

Aircraft: Piper Cherokee 180, solo, full fuel at preflight (both tanks), within limits. Lycoming O-360-A, carbureted, fixed-pitch prop, steam panel. Fuel selector: LEFT / RIGHT (no BOTH position). The right tank, which appeared one-quarter full at preflight, has not been used yet. Nothing was written up; the airplane was airworthy at departure.

NTSB DFW05FA028 (2004, FATAL): A Piper PA-28-180 on a night cross-country flight lost engine power due to fuel starvation from the pilot's failure to switch fuel tank position. The pilot had been on one tank for the entire flight and did not switch to the other tank en route. When the selected tank ran dry, the engine quit. The pilot attempted a forced landing in darkness but struck terrain. The probable cause was the pilot's in-flight mismanagement of the available fuel supply by failure to switch fuel tank position, with low ceilings and dark night conditions as contributing factors.

NTSB CEN24LA191 (2024): A Piper PA-28-180 on a cross-country personal flight lost engine power due to fuel starvation when the pilot failed to switch fuel tanks while distracted crossing a mountain range. The pilot was so focused on terrain avoidance that he neglected his fuel management procedure. The engine quit during descent. The pilot made a forced landing in a field.

NTSB ERA24LA116 (2024): A Piper PA-28-180 on an instructional flight experienced fuel starvation during the second approach to landing after the student pilot failed to switch fuel tanks despite instructor reminders. The student was distracted by the approach and did not execute the fuel tank switch. The engine quit on downwind. The flight instructor performed a forced landing to a highway.

NTSB CEN24LA108 (2024): A Piper PA-28-180 on an instructional flight experienced fuel starvation when the student pilot inadvertently positioned the fuel selector toward the OFF position during a fuel tank change. The student moved the selector slowly and it stopped in an intermediate position, restricting fuel flow. The engine quit. The flight instructor performed a forced landing to a field.

NTSB WPR24LA178 (2024): A Piper PA-28-180 lost engine power due to fuel starvation when the pilot placed the fuel selector in an intermediate position. The pilot was changing tanks but did not move the selector decisively to the full detent. The engine quit during descent. The pilot made a forced landing.

The common thread across all these accidents: the PA-28-180 fuel selector is LEFT / RIGHT only — there is NO BOTH position. The pilot MUST actively switch tanks to avoid starvation. Sight gauges are unreliable. Switching tanks during descent or approach is high-risk. The correct procedure is to switch tanks during cruise at a stable altitude, monitor the engine for 30 seconds to confirm the new tank is feeding, then continue. Switching tanks during descent, not confirming the new tank is feeding, and not switching back when the engine begins to rough are the chain of errors that kills PA-28-180 pilots.

This scenario is localized to KVNC, Venice, FL. The real accidents cited above occurred at other airports and in other circumstances — NOT at Venice Municipal. The scenario is localized to KVNC to make the off-field environment real and consequential for you as a student here. Off Runway 31's approach end (heading 315°), the off-field environment is open grassland and scattered trees — survivable but not ideal for a forced landing. Off Runway 13's approach end (heading 135°), the off-field environment is open grassland — better for a forced landing. The runway you are approaching matters.