Misfueling Prevention Continued from page 27 says, ‘In some businesses, there’s no room for error.’ I love that line, and I repeat it all the time because that’s what we’re talking about here: there’s absolutely no room for error.” The AOPA Air Safety Institute didn’t mince any words in its as- sessment of the problem: “Misfueling happens because of human error. At the root of the problem is usually a miscom- munication or misunderstand- ing that results in the wrong type of fuel being put into an aircraft. For piston pilots, jet fuel contamination of avgas (100LL) is especially danger- ous because it’s impossible to distinguish pure 100LL from a mixture of 100LL and Jet A by simply checking the fuel’s color. Unlike 100LL, Jet A fuel has a zero octane rating. If a piston engine runs with a mixture of 100LL and Jet A, engine-destroying detonation will almost certainly occur. How bad the detonation is depends upon the mixture ratio life threatening, the mainte- nance bills can be significant.” Paul Deres, Director of Education for AOPA Air Safety Institute, says his organization is emphasizing that pilots should confirm the type and quantity of fuel when placing their orders, be present to supervise the fueling of their aircraft, and make sure distinctions between tip tanks and auxiliary tanks are understood by the representatives taking the order and the personnel fueling the aircraft. “There’s danger in complacency,” Deres said. “There’s a tendency to get used to a system, and then fall into a habit where you park your plane, place your fuel order, then go get lunch. We’re reminding our pilots that there are very few of these kinds of accidents; but, when they do hap- pen, they’re usually catastrophic. It’s important for us to work with NATA and other organizations, because, while our focus is on pilots, prevent- ing these kinds of incidents is ulti- mately a team effort: it happens at the level where you’re placing your fuel order, where your aircraft is being fu- and distributing new fuel cards to its members to help make sure that pilots and those responsible for fuel- ing their aircraft have no doubt about the type and amount of fuel needed. GAMA is distributing fuel decals (“Jet Fuel Only,” “Avgas Only (Grade 100LL, Grade 100)”, “Avgas Only (Grade 80, Grade 100LL, Grade 100”) and fuel nozzle bands to provide an additional layer of protection. AOPA is additionally recommending that its pilots make sure their aircraft fuel tanks are clearly marked for either Jet A or 100LL with the appropri- ate restrictor installed; pilots also should check their receipts for the type of fuel charged before taking off, and always sump the tanks before flight, especially after fueling. The multi-layer approach is key to preventing misfuel- ing accidents. Mooney said: “What we’re seeing in each of these cases, is that you simply can’t assume anything when it comes to the proper fueling of a plane, especially when some planes that look very much alike use different “There is danger in complacency.” of the two fuels and the power setting—a recipe for disaster because detonation may not occur until full power is applied during takeoff. Most turboprop and jet engines will run (albeit poorly) on a mixture of Jet A and 100LL—and while this mis- fueling situation is not always eled, and where you’re confirming re- ceipt of the proper fuel. I don’t believe it’s a gap in the training for pilots— which, as you know, is extensive, pilots are trained very thoroughly— but regardless of if there’s a gap or not, if we’re still seeing accidents, then everyone is one too many.” AOPA has followed up on the effort by issuing seven-point guidelines fuels. In a lot of these cases, once an investigation is underway you’ll find a pilot who just said ‘Top it off’—without ever mentioning the number and grade of the fuel when the order was placed, and somebody on the line who didn’t ask or didn’t confirm because they didn’t want to appear dumb or they thought they Continued on page 31 Aviation Business Journal | 1st Quarter 2016 29
