PA-32 Cherokee Six/Lance/Saratoga/6X
Flight Crew Commercial
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 160; Flight Crew Total 1730; Flight Crew Type 1725
Communication Breakdown; Other / Unknown
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue
Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; General Work Refused
Aircraft; Company Policy; Incorrect / Not Installed / Unavailable Part; Procedure
I was conducting a 20 minute scheduled Part 135 flight to HNH.  I had just come back from a previous flight and  had had the Piper Cherokee Six refueled by Ramp.  I was performing a routine visual inspection of the aircraft when one of the two passengers asked to be seated in an back seat and I accommodated his request.  After closing the back door I walked around the aircraft to enter the front door followed by the second passenger who took the seat next to me.  After my passenger briefing I got ATIS; advised Dispatch of my departure and then called Ground who cleared us to taxi to the runway.  After my run-up I switched to Tower and was cleared for takeoff.About half way to Hoonah I noticed that the fuel cap of the right main tank was missing.  Later; my back seat passenger informed me that he had seen the fuel cap come off as we started our takeoff roll. I quickly performed a fuel check; checked all the other gauges and then kept a monitoring them closely.  I radioed Dispatch and was advised to continue to Hoonah and then return back to base if I had enough fuel remaining to do so.  After landing I inspected all four tanks and found that I had fuel for three hours of flight time in the three closed thanks in addition to some fuel remaining in the tank with the missing fuel cap.  The return flight was going to be an empty twenty minute flight so I followed Dispatch's instruction to head back to base.  After landing I looked for and saw the fuel cap laying on Taxiway Charlie just short of the hold short line.  I taxied the airplane to the east hanger and; after clearing it with the Tower; then took an FBO van to get the missing fuel cap.  Our company Mechanic and I cleaned and inspected the fuel cap and put it back on to the aircraft; ensuring it was secured properly.  After returning the aircraft to the main ramp I; together with the Chief Pilot; were called into the Owner's office where I was asked to explain what had just happened and was told to take the rest of the day off.Due to recent changes within the company; the Pilot in Command's authority has been greatly restricted and Dispatch now has the final say in regards to decision making and whether to conduct or terminate flights.  This abrogation of command authority has been an ongoing concern amongst the pilots and makes proper decision making  hard.  I have personally suffered through the consequences of questioning dispatchers' instructions and have learned to always do as I'm told; no question asked.  In this event I was given company instructions to return to base and had adequate fuel in the three remaining tanks to do so safely.  In hindsight; I should have followed FAA regulations regardless of company instructions and or potential consequences.As a result of these company imposed restrictions on the PIC's command authority I elected to resign my position with the company and have done so.
After evaluating his response to the coercion applied by his company's usurpation of PIC's command authority during a round trip operation in which a fuel tank cap had been seen to have fallen off during the initial takeoff; the pilot of a PA32 elected to resign his position rather than continue to be forced to fly in a manner he felt was in violation of Federal Regulations.