THUNDER BAY — A light aircraft flying from Winnipeg on Sunday ran out of fuel as it approached for landing at Thunder Bay Airport.
The pilot of the single-engine Piper PA28-180 was able to get the plane onto the runway without crashing despite the dead motor.
Neither the pilot nor the lone passenger was hurt.
Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Chris Krepski said while on approach to Thunder Bay, the pilot noticed a low fuel indicator had lit up, so he switched to his other tank.
"During the base leg, which is the leg before you turn onto final [approach], the engine then lost complete power. The pilot declared an emergency and then successfully completed a forced landing," Krepski said.
The pilot was able to roll the aircraft off the runway onto the taxiway under its own momentum. It was then towed to the ramp.
Krepski said an examination of the fuel tanks showed both were empty.
There was no damage to the aircraft.
The TSB, Krepski said, "will do a little follow up," but because it knows the cause of the incident and there were no adverse consequences, it will not pursue the matter further.
