Jim’s Analysis

There’s a lot more to this than meets the eye. I have noticed that single engine Cessnas run out of fuel a lot more often than Cherokees. My guess is that the ratio is about five-to-one against Cessna. There has to be good reasons, and there are indeed – three main ones: dihedral, aerofoil section and tank breathers.

I have no idea why this particular Cessna ran out of fuel, but the problem is so common that it’s worth devoting this accident discussion to explaining why you have to keep your fuel wits about you when flying single engine Cessnas.

Dihedral

This is the upslope of the wings. Designers use it for lateral stability in low-wing aircraft. This has an unintended benefit: it makes