AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2021 - 97

I had a similar incident in 1992 when
my Cessna Turbo 310 was misfueled with
Jet A at California's San Carlos Airport, a
busy GA airport just south of San Francisco
International Airport. Fortunately, I caught
the (mis)fueler in the act.
Normally, I either fuel my aircraft
myself at a self-serve pump or watch it
being fueled when avgas is supplied by
truck. On this occasion, I'd radioed for
the fuel truck and waited patiently for it
to arrive. After 10 minutes, Mother Nature
intervened and required me to go inside
the terminal building to find a bathroom.
By the time I took care of my pressing
business and returned to the ramp, a fuel
truck was parked by my airplane and a
lineperson was pumping fuel into my right
main tank. As I approached the aircraft, I
observed to my horror that the truck was
prominently labeled " Jet A. "
At first, I was not too worried, because
I believed that misfueling my airplane
The FAA mandated that jet fuel trucks
install a wide spade-shaped " duckbill "
fuel nozzle, and that vulnerable airplanes
(like my turbocharged twin Cessna) have
restrictor ports installed into which the
wide jet fuel nozzle would not fit. This
made misfueling of piston aircraft with
jet fuel theoretically impossible. (But of
course, it's also theoretically impossible
for bumblebees to fly.)
When I arrived at my airplane, I discovered
that indeed my left main tank had
been topped with Jet A. How could that
have happened? A subsequent investigation
by the local flight standards district
office revealed that the Jet A fuel truck
at San Carlos Airport had not been fitted
with the correct spade-type nozzle.
THE PURGE
I spent hours trying to find an A&P on the
field who would assist me in purging the
fuel system of its witches' brew of 100LL
1%
Cash Back1
When I arrived at my airplane, I discovered that
indeed my left main tank had been topped with
Jet A. How could that have happened?
with Jet A was physically impossible. In
1987, all turbocharged twin Cessnas (like
my T310R and the 421B) became subject
to AD 87-21-02, which mandated installation
of restrictor ports on all fuel filler
openings, designed to make it impossible
to insert an industry standard Jet A
nozzle, while accommodating the smallerdiameter
avgas nozzle.
The AD was issued because the FAA
became aware that many misfueling incidents
and accidents had been occurring in
turbocharged aircraft. Many of these aircraft
were prominently decorated by the
factory with the word " Turbo " and apparently
FBO line personnel were confusing
it with " Turbine " and pumping Jet A into
the tanks.
and Jet A. (This was years before I became
an A&P myself.) The fueling company was
falling all over itself to be helpful-I'm
sure they were worried about liability-
but had no mechanics or maintenance
capabilities. Several maintenance shops
were on the field, but none wanted to go
near my contaminated airplane for fear of
the potential liability exposure. Finally, I
persuaded one director of maintenance to
help me out after writing and signing an
omnibus waiver absolving his shop and its
employees of any liability in connection
with their work on my aircraft.
The purging process itself was
eye-opening. We drained the tanks as
completely as possible, putting the noxious
avgas-Jet A mixture into a 55-gallon
aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 97
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2021
