SWA emerg fuel, 3rd approach works -Mar5 2025, JFK

[Let'sgoflying!]

something a little unusual

“4100# remaining”
Is that low? <dunno>

 

[Busflyer]

I don’t like to go below 6000# in the 757 so I would say 4100# for a 737 is low.

 

[Larry in TN]

“4100# remaining”
Is that low? <dunno>

I believe that was a 737-8 MAX. Fuel flow down low would be in the high 5,000's so that's less than an hour. Very close to our minimum IFR reserve of 45 minutes. The 737-800 would have been over 6,000/hr.

 

[DavidWhite]

I would guess they probably got the runway in sight “at minimums”.

If you don’t have any other options, going missed and running out of gas is a really dumb way to kill a plane full of people. I remember once in Ketchikan there was a TBM who had gone missed three times. Finally one of our pilots got on the radio and told him to ignore mins and let the autopilot crash him into the runway if he had to. He flamed out as he was exiting the runway.

 

[luvflyin]

something a little unusual

“4100# remaining”
Is that low? <dunno>

Surprised me the Controller asked for pounds of fuel instead of minutes remaining. Pounds is what crash crew wants to know. Time is what the controller needs to know. They probably asked ATC to get pounds. Maybe they did get time also but it got edited out. Last ‘declaration’ we heard was min fuel immediately corrected to emergency fuel by the pilot. Shades of Avianca 52

 

[iRyan]

I don't like to be below 6.0 in the bus but 4 is often our min fuel. At 5 we are already looking else where.

 

[Rene]

So, Billy grew up and got a job at SWA, good for him.

 

[luvflyin]

I don't like to be below 6.0 in the bus but 4 is often our min fuel. At 5 we are already looking else where.

Which bus? How many minutes remaining is 4, 5 and 6 thousand pounds?