Narrative:

This incident was another illustration of the stresses and strains of airshow flying, and their potential for causing an incident. The culmination of a very stressful 3-DAY airshow trip was my leaving the gas cap for the auxiliary tank of my aircraft sitting on the wing when I took off after an intermediate fuel stop at ZZZ. The sequence of events was as follows: thursday morning was very low MVFR at my home airport, with WX rapidly closing down in the early morning. I rushed to get everything ready, and made the short hop to ZZZ airport, where I was able to stop and have some breakfast, refuel the airplane, and program my GPS for the remainder of the flight to ZZZ1, the first stop on my wkend airshow tour. In my haste to get moving before the WX closed in, I was unable to program my GPS, and so may well have passed through the edge of ZZZY class C airspace. The flight to ZZZ1 was marginal, but otherwise uneventful, and my show on friday went well. I performed a show on saturday, immediately configured the airplane for cross country, and started to fly to my second show at ZZZ2 airport, which was to be presented sunday. Departed ZZZ1 about XA00, arrived ZZZ about XB15, refueled, had lunch, and took off for ZZZ2, leaving the fuel cap of my right auxiliary tank sitting on the wing. About 1/2 way to ZZZ2, I noticed this, so burned the right auxiliary tank empty before landing at ZZZ2. Upon landing, the first person to greet me was the FAA airshow monitor, to inspect my papers. He noticed the gas cap was off and inquired how I was going to deal with that. I informed him that the tanks were completely separate system, that I would tape the tank closed with some fireproof tape, and drain all of the residual fuel from that tank, as each tank on this airplane has its own drain. This was accomplished. 3 shows were flown without incident on sunday. The flight from ZZZ2 to ZZZ (where the line boy had very considerately salvaged my gas cap, and had it for me) was uneventful, as was the remaining trip to ZZZ3. By the time I arrived at my home airport, I was so fatigued that I almost immediately went to sleep, not waking until well into the next morning. Upon mature reflection, I see a number of things that I did wrong. Although I intellectually know that airshow flying is both physically and emotionally demanding, I was unable to separate myself from some negative airshow politics that went on at my first show. I flew 2 shows at the first location, and then on the second day of the show flew a 2-HOP flight to the site of the second show. More airshow politics that night, and 3 shows the next day, along with the flight home. Being 60 yrs old, this is probably more than my body can safely tolerate. I begin to see, now, some of the wisdom behind the 60 yr old rule for airline pilots. Though I have been flying professionally for 10 yrs and intellectually know of the demands that airshow flying makes on me, it is hard to pass up an opportunity to fly yet another show. I think an important lesson here is that it is probably not a good idea to try to fly 2 shows in 1 wkend. It is often said that god looks after fools, and I must admit that I pushed myself foolishly hard on this wkend.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ZLIN-50LX PLT MAY HAVE ENTERED CLASS C AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC AND THEN FORGOT TO INSTALL A FUEL TANK CAP AFTER REFUELING AT AN INTERMEDIATE FUEL STOP.

Narrative: THIS INCIDENT WAS ANOTHER ILLUSTRATION OF THE STRESSES AND STRAINS OF AIRSHOW FLYING, AND THEIR POTENTIAL FOR CAUSING AN INCIDENT. THE CULMINATION OF A VERY STRESSFUL 3-DAY AIRSHOW TRIP WAS MY LEAVING THE GAS CAP FOR THE AUX TANK OF MY ACFT SITTING ON THE WING WHEN I TOOK OFF AFTER AN INTERMEDIATE FUEL STOP AT ZZZ. THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS WAS AS FOLLOWS: THURSDAY MORNING WAS VERY LOW MVFR AT MY HOME ARPT, WITH WX RAPIDLY CLOSING DOWN IN THE EARLY MORNING. I RUSHED TO GET EVERYTHING READY, AND MADE THE SHORT HOP TO ZZZ ARPT, WHERE I WAS ABLE TO STOP AND HAVE SOME BREAKFAST, REFUEL THE AIRPLANE, AND PROGRAM MY GPS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT TO ZZZ1, THE FIRST STOP ON MY WKEND AIRSHOW TOUR. IN MY HASTE TO GET MOVING BEFORE THE WX CLOSED IN, I WAS UNABLE TO PROGRAM MY GPS, AND SO MAY WELL HAVE PASSED THROUGH THE EDGE OF ZZZY CLASS C AIRSPACE. THE FLT TO ZZZ1 WAS MARGINAL, BUT OTHERWISE UNEVENTFUL, AND MY SHOW ON FRIDAY WENT WELL. I PERFORMED A SHOW ON SATURDAY, IMMEDIATELY CONFIGURED THE AIRPLANE FOR XCOUNTRY, AND STARTED TO FLY TO MY SECOND SHOW AT ZZZ2 ARPT, WHICH WAS TO BE PRESENTED SUNDAY. DEPARTED ZZZ1 ABOUT XA00, ARRIVED ZZZ ABOUT XB15, REFUELED, HAD LUNCH, AND TOOK OFF FOR ZZZ2, LEAVING THE FUEL CAP OF MY R AUX TANK SITTING ON THE WING. ABOUT 1/2 WAY TO ZZZ2, I NOTICED THIS, SO BURNED THE R AUX TANK EMPTY BEFORE LNDG AT ZZZ2. UPON LNDG, THE FIRST PERSON TO GREET ME WAS THE FAA AIRSHOW MONITOR, TO INSPECT MY PAPERS. HE NOTICED THE GAS CAP WAS OFF AND INQUIRED HOW I WAS GOING TO DEAL WITH THAT. I INFORMED HIM THAT THE TANKS WERE COMPLETELY SEPARATE SYS, THAT I WOULD TAPE THE TANK CLOSED WITH SOME FIREPROOF TAPE, AND DRAIN ALL OF THE RESIDUAL FUEL FROM THAT TANK, AS EACH TANK ON THIS AIRPLANE HAS ITS OWN DRAIN. THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED. 3 SHOWS WERE FLOWN WITHOUT INCIDENT ON SUNDAY. THE FLT FROM ZZZ2 TO ZZZ (WHERE THE LINE BOY HAD VERY CONSIDERATELY SALVAGED MY GAS CAP, AND HAD IT FOR ME) WAS UNEVENTFUL, AS WAS THE REMAINING TRIP TO ZZZ3. BY THE TIME I ARRIVED AT MY HOME ARPT, I WAS SO FATIGUED THAT I ALMOST IMMEDIATELY WENT TO SLEEP, NOT WAKING UNTIL WELL INTO THE NEXT MORNING. UPON MATURE REFLECTION, I SEE A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT I DID WRONG. ALTHOUGH I INTELLECTUALLY KNOW THAT AIRSHOW FLYING IS BOTH PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY DEMANDING, I WAS UNABLE TO SEPARATE MYSELF FROM SOME NEGATIVE AIRSHOW POLITICS THAT WENT ON AT MY FIRST SHOW. I FLEW 2 SHOWS AT THE FIRST LOCATION, AND THEN ON THE SECOND DAY OF THE SHOW FLEW A 2-HOP FLT TO THE SITE OF THE SECOND SHOW. MORE AIRSHOW POLITICS THAT NIGHT, AND 3 SHOWS THE NEXT DAY, ALONG WITH THE FLT HOME. BEING 60 YRS OLD, THIS IS PROBABLY MORE THAN MY BODY CAN SAFELY TOLERATE. I BEGIN TO SEE, NOW, SOME OF THE WISDOM BEHIND THE 60 YR OLD RULE FOR AIRLINE PLTS. THOUGH I HAVE BEEN FLYING PROFESSIONALLY FOR 10 YRS AND INTELLECTUALLY KNOW OF THE DEMANDS THAT AIRSHOW FLYING MAKES ON ME, IT IS HARD TO PASS UP AN OPPORTUNITY TO FLY YET ANOTHER SHOW. I THINK AN IMPORTANT LESSON HERE IS THAT IT IS PROBABLY NOT A GOOD IDEA TO TRY TO FLY 2 SHOWS IN 1 WKEND. IT IS OFTEN SAID THAT GOD LOOKS AFTER FOOLS, AND I MUST ADMIT THAT I PUSHED MYSELF FOOLISHLY HARD ON THIS WKEND.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.