Fuel leak

N747JB

N747JB

Final Approach
Joined
Jul 10, 2011
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6,248
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Atlanta
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Display name:
John
I went flying yesterday with my son, Thomas, to let him practice a bit. He hasn't flown since December and wants to finish up his PPL after graduation and before he heads off to college. The ramp was empty except our 182 and a transient 182, just before we loaded up I noticed a fuel leak on the other plane, the left side door and door post were blue. I walked over to have a closer look and it wasn't just a little seeping, it was actively dripping!:yikes: I called a lineman over and they got a bucket to try to catch what they could. I looked to see if it was just a stuck quick drain, but it looked like it was coming from inside the wing. The pilot didn't leave a number, so they couldn't call him. We left and flew an hour or so and when we landed this plane was taxing out with the large blue stain on the left side. :dunno: I asked the line guys if they got it fixed, they said the guy told them it wasn't his plane and he wasn't going to worry about it.:eek:
He loaded up two young girls and left. :nono:
I just can't imagine flying with that much fuel leaking! All he needs is a little spark from the flap motor and BOOM! :yikes:
 
Flap motor is in the right wing,

Not that it excuses departure with a fuel leak
 
N747JB said:
.....I just can't imagine flying with that much fuel leaking! All he needs is a little spark from the flap motor and BOOM! :yikes:
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Agreed.....

That plane has NTSB report written all over it...:yes::sad:
 
Skylane81E said:
Flap motor is in the right wing,

Not that it excuses departure with a fuel leak
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I guess I should know that, I've owned two of them, but I guess I never worked on the flap motor.;)
 
N801BH said:
Hope you are right..........
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Oh he is running a much greater risk of crashing, but a fire caused by the flap motor won't be the cause.

And even if he makes it ok I hope the plane owner guts him
 
Fuel leaks are no joke. I'm not as worried about catching on fire as I am just about running out of fuel. Friend of mine had a main fuel line completely come loose immediately after takeoff. Wingman saw it, told him, and they kissed off the rest of the formation and basically flew as fast as the could (gotta use all the fuel you can while you still have it) to North Island. Luckily it was a beautiful VMC day, and they short hooked for the visual straight in to a trap. He flamed out both motors as he rolled out. Lost about 12k lbs of gas in about 4 minutes.
 
35 AoA said:
Fuel leaks are no joke. I'm not as worried about catching on fire as I am just about running out of fuel. Friend of mine had a main fuel line completely come loose immediately after takeoff. Wingman saw it, told him, and they kissed off the rest of the formation and basically flew as fast as the could (gotta use all the fuel you can while you still have it) to North Island. Luckily it was a beautiful VMC day, and they short hooked for the visual straight in to a trap. He flamed out both motors as he rolled out. Lost about 12k lbs of gas in about 4 minutes.
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And there is where the most likely negative outcome would come from. I would be much more worried about a fire on a piston bird than a turbine, but the ignition sources are few in the left wing. The only electrics there are the nav/strobe lights, stall warning, pitot heater and on some models the landing lights. All the wires run through the leading edge.
 
I experienced a fuel leak that I couldn't see it and didn't know it happened until the fan stopped. Scary.
 
wabower said:
I experienced a fuel leak that I couldn't see it and didn't know it happened until the fan stopped. Scary.
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Not fun. Seems like a repost of this (someone else here made it, and it made me chuckle...)... might be in order...

de5e4ugu.jpg


But you already knew that or you wouldn't be here now. Eh? :)
 
denverpilot said:
Not fun. Seems like a repost of this (someone else here made it, and it made me chuckle...)... might be in order...

de5e4ugu.jpg


But you already knew that or you wouldn't be here now. Eh? :)
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Nate, that is by far the best 'Keep Calm...' poster I have seen to date. Thanks for reposting!
 
I had the same fuel leak on my 182. Twice actually. The first time it was barely a couple drops of blue, and the mechanics attributed it to a hose that wasn't tight. They tightened it and it went away. Then a couple weeks later I had a small fuel waterfall (you could see the drops this time, though it was probably less than a gallon a day) and they replaced the same hose. Before they fixed it teh first time though they said I could fly it, and I did. But it wasn't even a visable drip, just a blue place. That's why we do preflights :yes: and why I asked MX if I was good to fly for a few days the first time. The second I didn't even ask because I knew I didn't want to fly it.
 
Honestly didn't ever have time to worry about glide and not sure the Aerostar knew how. We were just incredibly lucky that Bryce Canyon UT airport was 12 o'clock and about 3 miles. Even a caveman . . .

denverpilot said:
Not fun. Seems like a repost of this (someone else here made it, and it made me chuckle...)... might be in order...

de5e4ugu.jpg


But you already knew that or you wouldn't be here now. Eh? :)
Click to expand...
 
Z06_Mir said:
I had the same fuel leak on my 182. Twice actually. The first time it was barely a couple drops of blue, and the mechanics attributed it to a hose that wasn't tight. They tightened it and it went away. Then a couple weeks later I had a small fuel waterfall (you could see the drops this time, though it was probably less than a gallon a day) and they replaced the same hose. Before they fixed it teh first time though they said I could fly it, and I did. But it wasn't even a visable drip, just a blue place. That's why we do preflights :yes: and why I asked MX if I was good to fly for a few days the first time. The second I didn't even ask because I knew I didn't want to fly it.
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And that is another good point, not all leaks are created equal. Small leaks outside of "fire zones" can be legal to fly with. Not always the smartest thing, but not always stupid either.
 
Skylane81E said:
And that is another good point, not all leaks are created equal. Small leaks outside of "fire zones" can be legal to fly with. Not always the smartest thing, but not always stupid either.
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Regardless of anyone's position on flying with a fuel leak, departing without knowing the CAUSE of the leak is negligent, in my opinion. I wouldn't be worried about fire as much as the cause of the leak becoming worse and creating a fuel starvation event. We don't necessarily know that some minor discovery work wasn't done in this case, but from what was reported, it doesn't sound like it.


JKG
 
wabower said:
Honestly didn't ever have time to worry about glide and not sure the Aerostar knew how. We were just incredibly lucky that Bryce Canyon UT airport was 12 o'clock and about 3 miles. Even a caveman . . .
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How many pairs of pants needed to be replaced? Mine would need it.
 
JGoodish said:
Regardless of anyone's position on flying with a fuel leak, departing without knowing the CAUSE of the leak is negligent, in my opinion. I wouldn't be worried about fire as much as the cause of the leak becoming worse and creating a fuel starvation event. We don't necessarily know that some minor discovery work wasn't done in this case, but from what was reported, it doesn't sound like it.


JKG
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:yes:
 
I just discovered a fuel leak on my 182. I'm a dig in and do it your self (under the supervision of an A/P) kinda guy. Is this a very tough job?
 
Wonder if the pilot even did a visual on that tank to see how much fuel it had lost.I also don't like sitting in a cockpit with a fuel leak.
 
Mark M. said:
I just discovered a fuel leak on my 182. I'm a dig in and do it your self (under the supervision of an A/P) kinda guy. Is this a very tough job?
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Depends on what's leaking, could be snugging up something loose, could be bladder replacement
 
Mark M. said:
I just discovered a fuel leak on my 182. I'm a dig in and do it your self (under the supervision of an A/P) kinda guy. Is this a very tough job?
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Depends on what's leaking. Where's the drip/stain/odor?

Dan
 
Dripping down the right side, and around the fuel drain. I replaced the fuel drain, no luck.
 
Snug screws on inspection panels on top, check gaskets there, and all the nipples, but odds are good (assuming 70s or older) you are looking at a bad bladder.
 
Any body know how to disconnect the damn fuel line from the fuel badder in a 182?
The fuel line won't come loose from the rubber bladder part. UGH!
 
Patience and persistence, it likely hasn't been off in a loooooooong time
 
Mark M. said:
Any body know how to disconnect the damn fuel line from the fuel badder in a 182?
The fuel line won't come loose from the rubber bladder part. UGH!
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It's a beech of a job to say the least. Whatever you do, don't cut it with anything sharp. That would almost guarantee you're damaging the aluminum tube and have a leak afterward.

Like Duncan said; PATIENCE. Eventually it will loosen.
 
Norman said:
It's a beech of a job to say the least. Whatever you do, don't cut it with anything sharp. That would almost guarantee you're damaging the aluminum tube and have a leak afterward.

Like Duncan said; PATIENCE. Eventually it will loosen.
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And if you MUST cut, don't cut all the way through the rubber, just enough to get through the fabric, if there...
 
A company that I worked for was defending themselves after they fueled an old twin commander. After fueling it started dumping fuel. Even after our FBO warned them not to fly they loaded the ship with a number of people. It caught fire after take-off and killed everyone.

There has been a number of PA 46 aircraft with fuel fed flres in the engine compartment due to loose lines.
 
I have seen a similar leak that the OP mentioned, but in a 172. Turned out to be the interconnecting lines between the two wing tanks. The leak was a slow drip on the door post, some inside the airplane, and some outside. Once the fuel level was lowered, the leak stopped.

I understood the fix for this involved removing the header inside the cabin to get to those fuel lines. Those headers can be brittle in an older airplane, which can be a pain if it breaks or cracks too badly. It took a while to find an A&P who was willing to take on the challenge.
 
I am certainly glad that I have a Cessna 170, no bags, no hoses, solid aluminum lines and AN connections, finger strainers in each tank, and replaceable bottom drains at the low points in each tank, and the best, positive venting.

I just wish they had good fuel caps.


OBTW which certified production GA aircraft has allowable fuel leaks.
 
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Tom-D said:
I am certainly glad that I have a Cessna 170, no bags, no hoses, solid aluminum lines and AN connections, finger strainers in each tank, and replaceable bottom drains at the low points in each tank, and the best, positive venting.

I just wish they had good fuel caps.


OBTW which certified production GA aircraft has allowable fuel leaks.
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"Leak"
None,

Seeps and weeps can be
 
I have had two fuel leaks that scared me.

177RG: One time I went to the airport on a Sunday morning, into the communal hangar, and found a blue puddle under the plane and a strong fuel smell in the hangar. The hangar doors open electrically, and I was even scared to open them. I really puzzled how to evacuate the fumes before operating the doors-- I certainly didn't want to be the one responsible for burning the place down, with all the planes in there. I ultimately opened the normal (pedestrian) door in the side and positioned a large fan outside the door prior to turning it on, and moved it progressively closer, then into, the doorway. The guy I was going to fly with that morning is/was an A&P and he was able to disconnect and plug the fuel line from the tank. The problem was an o-ring going into one of the belly reservoirs, which he was able to replace. Eventually my nose could not sense any more fumes and I opened the large doors and we all survived.

210: I flew to Jackson, TN for a CPA 210 seminar. Upon landing, there was a pretty good drip of fuel coming out one of the vent tubes at the back of the engine compartment. Paul New was standing there, and he thought it was a leak in the electric fuel pump. He was not going to be able to fix it during the weekend. I forget the particulars of our discussion, but the outcome was that I did fly the plane back to my mechanic in NC the next day. At this point (4-5 years later) I can't remember how I started the plane, if I cautiously primed the engine with the electric pump or not. After engine start, i was not very concerned, as I had obviously flown the plane TO Jackson that way.

I am also concerned that the left fuel vent of the 210 ALWAYS drips fuel, even if the tank is down 10 gallons. I am concerned that this would be a real fire hazard in the event of an off-airport landing, but nobody seems to be able to fix the problem, and fellow 210 owners on the CPA forum say that this is a common problem.

Wells
 
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