Knowing what kind of fuel your aircraft takes is basic pilot knowledge. Knowing how to communicate that information to the FBO and/or line service technicians that refuel it should also be.
But according to Keith Clark, a Phillips 66 senior quality control and technical representative, correct aircraft fueling doesn’t always happen—and often with disastrous and deadly results.
Clark, who is the creator of the “Save a Life, Verify Fuel Type” campaign, has created a 30-minute online training class dedicated to aircraft mishaps and the importance of communication between pilots and FBOs on every fuel order.
“Fueling mishaps happen by miscommunication,” Clark said. “Pilots need to take a more proactive, safety-conscious approach during refueling.”
In his online seminar, Clark provided a scenario where a pilot of a King Air, a turbine-powered aircraft, asks the FBO for a top-off of all four fuel tanks. Right behind this order there is another pilot, flying a Piper Navajo, who asked for a top-off of all four fuel tanks—the Piper takes avgas.
Spoiler alert: Because the pilot of the Navajo does not specifically request avgas, and the dispatcher at the FBO does not ask what type of fuel or communicate the type of fuel needed to the refueler, the line tech fresh off fueling the KingAir with the jet-A truck goes right to the Navajo and starts refueling it with jet-A, which is not the correct fuel for the airplane. The mistake was caught before anyone took off.
Clark noted that there are pilots who think they can tell by looking at the sumped fuel if jet-A has mixed with avgas.
“You won’t be able to tell by appearance that the avgas has jet fuel in it, as it doesn’t separate,” he said.
The color and smell of the fuel won’t change either, according to Clark, so the best practice is to verify the type of fuel required by noting that information on the fuel insertion point and fuel caps and verbalizing the type of fuel.
Just telling the FBO or tech to “top it off” is the fueling equivalent to “looks pretty good” as a weather assessment. Instead, the pilot should be precise about what fuel they want and need, and if they don’t provide this information right away, the FBO needs to ask for verification of the type of fuel along with the amount.
Most pilots are keen on safety, said Clark, and will take a few seconds to do this. Then he dropped a piece of terrifying knowledge: The length of time between takeoff and crash of an improperly fueled aircraft is about 23 seconds.
Don’t be in such a hurry to refuel, Clark said.
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“Before refueling, verify the fuel placards, verify fuel type, and verify the amount of fuel,” he said, adding that fuel placards are not standardized and can be hidden by a fuel mat that the tech installs prior to beginning the operation.
Clark added that there is a movement underway to standardize fuel cap placards, but until that happens, be extra vigilant.
The tech verifies the fuel type per the placards, and the pilot needs to repeat it back before the static line is connected. If the placards are unreadable, the tech should have the pilot sign a fuel form before beginning the operation. The form should include the aircraft tail number, fuel type, and quantity.
“If there are no placards, we don’t fuel it until there is confirmation of fuel type from the pilot,” said Clark.
To those who were schooled on the idea that the fuel nozzle for 100LL won’t fit into the filler neck of an airplane designed to operate on jet-A and vice versa, Clark points out that the “nozzle will not be our savior,” as many aircraft have different engines. A piston may have been converted to a turbine, for example, but the filler neck is still original equipment. The so-called “duck bill” nozzle may not work, or the person doing the refueling may jockey the nozzle and hose at an angle to get the fuel into the tank.
Also, both techs and pilots need to make sure the fuel caps are properly installed after the refueling process. One of the photos Clark shared was of a wing of an airplane with a missing fuel cap. The crew had covered it with packing tape, and the tech refused to refuel the aircraft. The flight crew took the airplane to the airport’s self-fueling area and refueled it then called the FBO looking for more tape.
“That airplane never should have taken off,” said Clark.
