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Old July 31st 03, 10:51 AM
Patric Barry
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Obviously, whether you are allowed to refuel and depart depends on whether
any authorities are notified or even discover you have made an off field
landing.

In California there are occasional instances where pilots have landed on
freeways in the urban area, and after resolving the problem (if the plane is
not damaged and the NTSB has stated the aircraft is capable of flight) the
police close the freeway and the plane takes off to an airport.

30 years ago a friend was flying a C170 in central California and he hadn't
done a visual check of the fuel, assuming that the fbo had loaded the fuel
he had ordered the night before - he relied on the fuel gauge which, in a
tail dragger, showed more fuel than he had when the plane was on the
ground - and flying down the valley he ran out of fuel and headed for a
freeway, where he landed without incident. As luck had it, he rolled up to a
gas station and filled the plane with auto fuel and started the engine right
up and took off on the freeway - true story, verified by the passenger. He
did not notify anyone and heard nothing about the incident.

So, in answer to your question, if the plane is airworthy, then it is a
matter of whether suitable fuel can be located and whether or not the
authorities have been notified, and if they haven't heard about the plane
coming down then it is up to the pilot to decide. In California the
authorities will apparently allow a plane to depart from the roadway or
freeway.