Definition

The state in which the fuel supply to the engine is interrupted, although there is adequate fuel on board the aircraft. - Source: ATSB

Description

This article compares the terms "fuel exhaustion" and "fuel starvation", elaborates on the causes for starvation and gives some recommendations on its prevention.

Starvation Vs. Exhaustion

Fuel starvation and fuel exhaustion share the same possible outcomes:

• Engine failure
• Forced landing
• Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

The difference is that in the exhaustion case there is no fuel remaining on board (for whatever reason) while with starvation there is (sometimes enough) fuel but for some reason it cannot reach the engine. It is therefore possible in some cases to re-establish the flow of fuel and to regain engine power.

Causes and Contributors

There are three major causal factors for fuel starvation occurrences: