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Contaminated fuel brings down C150

By NTSB · March 22, 2023 ·

According to the pilot, he had recently purchased the Cessna 150 and noted that the fuel tanks were contaminated with water.

He had a mechanic install new fuel tank sumps, fuel cap gaskets, and several other parts.

Three days before the accident, he inspected the airplane, which was tied down outside, and sumped the fuel tanks, which initially revealed about one tablespoon of water. He continued to sump the fuel tanks until only fuel came out and then performed an engine run-up without any anomalies.

On the day of the accident, he performed a preflight inspection and observed about one tablespoon of water in the strainer from the left tank. He continued sumping the left tank until only fuel was visible in the strainer.

He started the engine, taxied, and performed an engine run-up for several minutes with no anomalies noted.

He performed a normal takeoff and while turning the airplane on course to the destination airport the engine experienced a total loss of power.

He elected to perform a forced landing to a field near Hardwick Township, N.J. During the landing, the airplane hit a tree, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and empennage.

Post-accident examination of the wreckage revealed that the gascolator and carburetor contained water. The carburetor was drained, reinstalled, and an engine run was performed without any anomalies.

Probable Cause: The pilot’s inadequate prefight inspection, during which he failed to detect water contamination in the fuel system, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

NTSB Identification: 102849

To download the final report. Click here. This will trigger a PDF download to your device.

This March 2021 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.

About NTSB

The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States and significant events in the other modes of transportation, including railroad, transit, highway, marine, pipeline, and commercial space. It determines the probable causes of accidents and issues safety recommendations aimed at preventing future occurrences.

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Comments

  1. Tom Curran says

    March 23, 2023 at 2:06 pm

    I dunno …unless I’m wrong …which is rare …the only way to check for contaminated fuel INSIDE the carb, at least on a C-150, is to take the carb apart. Not something I typically do on a pre-flight inspection.

    Here’s the text from the “Nose” Preflight Inspection section in the 1975 C-150 POH: “Before first flight of the day and after each refueling, pull out strainer drain knob for about four seconds to clear fuel strainer of possible water and sediment. Check strainer drain closed. If water is observed, the fuel system may contain
    additional water, and further draining of the system at the
    strainer, fuel tank sumps, and fuel line drain plug will be necessary.”

    The fuel line drain plug is upstream of the carburetor at the fuel strainer …it won’t drain water/contaminants trapped in it. Perhaps a Note, Warning, or Caution from Cessna would’ve highlighted that.

    The guy did everything he could IAW the Checklist, and he was still ambushed. Sounds like a lawsuit against the manufacturer to me.

    • JimH in CA says

      March 23, 2023 at 3:48 pm

      The MA3 and MA4 carbs have a bowl drain plug that will drain any contaminants, since it is at the lowest ppoint in the bowl.
      So, no need to remove or disassemble the carb., but it’s no something that can be done on the ramp.

      There is no mention of the gascolator being sampled. for water ?

      • Tom Curran says

        March 23, 2023 at 10:36 pm

        You’re right, Marvel-Schebler carburetors do have a bowl drain plug. (I was just seeing if anyone was paying attention).

        Inconvenient to reach during a preflight, but adding those words to the checklist would key ignorant folks (like me) that there is one more place to check before launching with an ‘unknown’.

  2. Todd says

    March 23, 2023 at 12:18 pm

    Always check for water before moving the aircraft as water will always settle to the lowest point ie the drain check

    Sorry this happened hope the pilot is ok

  3. WK Taylor says

    March 23, 2023 at 6:31 am

    One element not mentioned, was whether NTSB inspected the fuel-source-tanks where the aircraft was refueled-from… say the last 6-months, or so.

  4. RD says

    March 23, 2023 at 4:43 am

    With respect to JimH: I don’t understand the rocking of wings prior to checking for water in the fuel. Always seemed like that would temporarily move the water away from the sump for a period of time. That is, if you rock the wings, then you should wait a relatively long period of time for the water to descend back down thru the fuel to the sump.

    • MikeNY says

      March 23, 2023 at 5:12 pm

      Its recommended for Cessnas that have fuel bladders to get water stuck in a fold on the high side to drain to the sump on the low side (maybe).

  5. JimH in CA says

    March 22, 2023 at 3:48 pm

    There is no mention of his sampling the gascolator after clearing the water from the tanks. ?
    I have found it necessary to grab a wingtip and rock the wings a few times, then sample the fuel again. Repeat until no more water. Then sample the gascolator enough fuel to be sure that the fuel lines and selector are clear, which may be 8 oz. or more.

  6. Peter says

    March 22, 2023 at 9:24 am

    Sounds like he sampled the fuel properly until it was pure fuel

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