Language & WorldFact
A jet ran dry because someone mixed up pounds and kilos.
On 23 July 1983 the crew of Air Canada Flight 143 used 1.77 pounds per litre instead of 0.803 kg per litre; the new Boeing 767 was metric. Instead of 20,088 litres, only 4,917 were on board. At 41,000 feet both engines quit; the pilots glided 17 minutes to a disused base at Gimli. All 69 survived.
Useful: When converting, the unit on the result matters more than the number; always write it down.
Source: en.wikipedia.org