The pilot reported the Beech B24R was fueled from four identical fuel containers kept in the flying club hangar. One container was already full. He took the other three containers to the fuel pump, filled them with 100 low-lead aviation fuel, and returned to the airplane. He added about 10 gallons of fuel to each wing fuel tank from the four containers.
During the preflight inspection, he sumped the fuel tanks and did not observe any contamination.
The engine started without hesitation, and the before takeoff run-up, takeoff, and initial climb out were normal.
The right fuel tank was selected for the takeoff and initial climb, however he then switched the left fuel tank.
Shortly after changing tanks, the engine lost power. His efforts to restore engine power were not successful, and he executed a forced landing to an interstate highway near New Lenox, Illinois. The airplane hit a concrete barrier wall during the landing.
The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot and two passengers were seriously injured, while one passenger sustained minor injuries.
A post-accident examination recovered approximately 2-1/2 gallons of water from the left fuel tank. No water was detected in the right fuel tank. No anomalies with respect to the engine assembly or the airframe fuel system were observed.
An individual associated with the flying club reported that he was cleaning an airplane in the hangar the day before the accident. He had used a fuel container to get water and marked it “water for cleaning.”
At the end of the day, he left the container next to the airplane with the intention of continuing the next day. There were two to three gallons of water in the container at the time.
Probable Cause: The total loss of engine power due to fuel contamination as a result of the pilot’s improper fueling of the airplane.
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This May 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.
I am a little surprised that anyone would switch tanks so soon after climbing out.
But this has to be one of the dumbest things I have ever read.
Putting water in a gas can?
What could go wrong?
Oh, THIS!
The pilot report indicates he changed tanks soon after departure because he got a switch tank message.
The pilot’s statement details how he followed all checklists from preflight through departure. In hindsight it’s easy to see that water in one tank was missed and that switching tanks after initial climb could have been delayed. Is this totally on the pilot or could it also have all come together as a result of his training?
And the “fuel” color would be wrong and the fuel ‘fragrance’ missing. Isn’t that what we look for when sumping?
According to the pilot report he sampled the fuel, but did the left fuel sample have any blue tint or was it all water without the normal smell of fuel? That’s a pitfall in photos in training materials – they usually only show bad fuel samples that contain a little bit of water but none showing all water.
The pilot said his attempted restart was “Mainly tried turnbing (sic) on the mechanical fuel pump, exercising throttle and mixture a few times and switched the tanks as well”. The POH sequence is mixture, pump, fuel selector for this model. On all low wing models that I have flown, the first item is to change tanks. It appears the pilot may have lost a great deal of time in returning to the good tank and if the pump was in fact selected first, that may have drawn in additional water.
It appears from his report of his actions from preflight to departure, that the pilot was drilled with following checklists, but I’d question this restart checklist as being in the correct sequence. Plus beyond a checklist, there’s a very logical procedure that’s often recommended – if you change something and there’s a loss of power, immediate un-change what you just changed (immediately return to the other tank).
amazing…….
Amazing!
So many questions: Why would someone use a supposed fuel container for cleaning? Why would someone use a container marked “water for cleaning” for fuel? Why not take the plane to the fueling area instead of using portable containers to transfer fuel? Why wasn’t the plane filled before putting it in the hangar?
Just one single answer: stupidity.