CiES Addresses the Inaccuracy of Outdated Fuel Indication Systems

On April 14, 2025, aviation fuel quantity probe manufacturer CiES Inc gave a presentation titled ‘Addressing Fuel Indication in General Aviation. ’ The message was clear: Aviation still has a fuel indication problem, and pretending it’s all pilot error isn’t cutting it anymore.

General aviation sees over 70 fuel-related accidents annually, with the vast majority chalked up to “pilot error.” That’s a convenient explanation, but it ignores the fact that many aircraft are still flying with unreliable, outdated fuel gauges—systems the FAA itself has deemed untrustworthy.

“The current safety narrative focuses too narrowly on pilot behavior, while overlooking systemic issues with aircraft fuel systems and design that contribute to fuel-related accidents,” the presentation stated. “A shift towards a systems-thinking approach is needed to address the root causes of these preventable incidents.”

Modern fuel indication systems exist and are available, yet the general aviation fleet continues to rely on aging float gauges with no alerts, no redundancy, and no cross-checking between fuel quantity and flow. Though the amount of fuel-related incidents seems to be on a downtrend, data reflects newer, better-equipped aircraft rather than more likely troublemakers.

The ridiculous part? This is a problem that has been solved time and time again. Modern, reliable fuel indication systems are out there—people just haven’t prioritized using them. The normalization of bad instrumentation has made the issue invisible, and CiES hopes policy will start to catch on soon.

They propose that fuel indicators be recognized as a primary safety system and that financial help be provided for aircraft owners to retrofit their panels. These efforts should target pilots of legacy aircraft that rely heavily on preflight checks and calculations to determine fuel levels.

As the presentation summed it up: “Fuel indication is no longer a technology problem—it’s a policy leadership opportunity.” And that’s not just marketing spin. Several other organizations have long acknowledged that general aviation fuel gauges are unreliable, under-regulated, and inconsistently accurate.

FMI: https://ciescorp.net