PA31-350 CREW REQUESTED 20 GALS OF AVIATION GASOLINE '100LL' BE ADDED TO THE ACFT BEFORE DEP. THE FBO FUELER ADDED 20 GALS OF JET FUEL INSTEAD.
Synopsis
PA31-350 CREW REQUESTED 20 GALS OF AVIATION GASOLINE '100LL' BE ADDED TO THE ACFT BEFORE DEP. THE FBO FUELER ADDED 20 GALS OF JET FUEL INSTEAD.
Narrative
APPROX 1 HR PRIOR TO DEP; MY FO AND MYSELF WERE LOOKING AT WX AND PLANNING OUR RETURN TRIP TO ZZZ1. WE DECIDED THAT WE WOULD NEED TO TAKE ON 10 GALS OF FUEL A SIDE; IN THE INBOARD TANKS. I ORDERED THE FUEL AND THE DESK PERSONNEL ASKED WHAT TYPE OF ACFT IT WAS. I TOLD HER 'A PIPER NAVAJO; PA31-350.' SHE ASKED ME SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF; 'IS THAT A KING AIR;' AND I SAID; 'NO IT TAKES 100LL AVGAS.' SHE SAID 'OK.' WHILE I WAS STILL STANDING THERE; I HEARD THE DESK PERSONNEL RADIO TO THE FUELER FOR THE FUEL ORDER; SHE SAID; 'ACFT X NEEDS 10 GALS OF 100LL A SIDE IN THE INBOARD TANKS.' THE FUELER THAT TOOK THE CALL REPEATED BACK; '100LL 10 GALS A SIDE IN THE INBOARDS FOR ACFT X; OK.' AFTER ORDERING THE FUEL I WENT BACK TO THE WX ROOM AND FILED A FLT PLAN. WHEN I CAME OUT OF THE WX PLANNING ROOM; I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT THE PLANE WAS ALREADY REFUELED AND MY BILL WAS READY. I LOOKED AT THE SLIP AND IT READ 20 GALS OF AVG FOLLOWED BY THE PRICE. I SIGNED THE RECEIPT. AT THIS POINT; MY FO CAME OUT AND I ASKED HER TO COME HELP PREFLT THE PLANE FOR DEP. I SUMPED ALL THE QUICK DRAINS AND ALL SAMPLES WERE LIGHT BLUE AND SMELLED OF AVGAS. WE BOTH CONTINUED ON THE PREFLT. I FINISHED THE OUTSIDE PREFLT AND MY FO COMPLETED THE INSIDE. AFTER PAX BRIEFING WAS COMPLETED; WE BEGAN RUNNING CHKLISTS. WE STARTED THE ENGS; EVERYTHING STARTED NORMALLY. WE ASKED FOR OUR CLRNC AND TAXIED OUT TO RWY 9 AT SWF. WE COMPLETED OUR ENG RUN-UP CHKLIST; AND AGAIN EVERYTHING SEEMED NORMAL. WE WAITED AT THE HOLD SHORT LINE FOR ABOUT 5 MINS FOR A JET ON THE ILS FOR RWY 9. WE THEN RECEIVED CLRNC FOR TKOF. WE ROLLED ONTO THE RWY AND PROCEEDED WITH THE TKOF; ALL INDICATIONS AND GAUGES WERE NORMAL. ABOUT 500 FT AGL; I NOTICED A VARIATION IN THE L PROP RPM. I QUICKLY LEVELED OFF AND PUT THE GEAR DOWN AND LANDED ON RWY 9. AFTER THE PLANE WAS ON THE GND; I ASKED MY FO IF SHE HEARD AND SAW WHAT I SAW; SHE DID NOT. WE RECEIVED CLRNC TO TAXI BACK TO RWY 9. I RAN A COUPLE OF FEATHER CHKS AT 1500 RPM ON THE TAXI BACK; BECAUSE I SUSPECTED A GOVERNOR PROB. AGAIN; ALL CHKS WERE NORMAL. WE AGAIN COMPLETED A FULL HIGH END RUN-UP; EVERYTHING AGAIN WAS NORMAL. WE AGAIN RECEIVED CLRNC FOR TKOF AND AGAIN A FULL THROTTLE; EVERYTHING WAS INDICATING NORMAL. WE TOOK OFF AND AT ABOUT 100 FT AGL; I HEARD THE L ENG PULSATE AND SAW THE SAME RPM DIFFERENCE. AT THIS POINT; I WAS OUT OF RWY AND HAD TO CIRCLE CLOSE IN TO KEEP THE FIELD IN SIGHT AND MANEUVER FOR ANOTHER LNDG ON RWY 9. WHEN WE WERE ON DOWNWIND TO BASE FOR RWY 9; MY FO; WHILE COMPLETING THE BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST; NOTED TO ME THAT THE TEMPS IN THE L ENG WERE GETTING VERY HOT. AT THIS POINT; I WAS IN POS TO BRING BACK THE THROTTLES AND THAT IN TURN LOWERED THE TEMPS. WE LANDED WITHOUT ANY FURTHER PROBS AND TAXIED BACK TO FBO FOR MAINT TO LOOK AT IT. AFTER WE WERE ON THE GND; I JUMPED OUT AND WAS ABLE TO TALK TO A MECH ON THE PHONE. HE STATED THAT HE THOUGHT IT WAS PROBABLY A GOVERNOR PROB AND HE WOULDN'T BE AVAILABLE UNTIL XA00 THE NEXT MORNING. AT THIS POINT; I TOLD MY FO TO HAVE THE PAX COME INSIDE AND WE MADE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ALL OF US TO STAY AT A LCL HOTEL. AT THE HOTEL; WE WERE ALL TRYING TO SAVE OUR CELL PHONE BATTERIES FOR THE NEXT DAY; SO I HAD MINE TURNED OFF. WHEN I AWOKE IN THE MORNING; I TURNED MY CELL PHONE ON AND NOTICED A MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL MGR OF THE FBO. HE SAID TO GIVE HIM A CALL THAT NIGHT OR HE WOULD SEE ME IN THE MORNING. WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE ARPT IN THE MORNING; I NOTICED A NOTE TAPED TO THE DOOR OF OUR ACFT. I WALKED OUT TO SEE WHAT IT SAID; AND READ 'PLTS DO NOT FLY THIS ACFT.' WHILE STANDING AT THE ACFT; I SAW THE MECH. THEY WERE GOING TO PUT IT INTO THE HANGAR AND TAKE A LOOK AT IT. MY FO AND MYSELF WENT DOWN TO SUPERVISE THE INSPECTION. THE FIRST THING HE CHKED WAS THE PLUGS; FOR FOULING AND THEN THE ODD THING WAS; HE CHKED THE CONTINUITY ON THE WIRES LEADING TO THE PROP HEAT. I'M NO MECH; BUT I KNOW THAT THE PROP HEAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE RPM OF THE ENG; BUT I LET HIM GO. I REMEMBER MAKING A COMMENTTO MY FO THAT SOMETHING IS NOT QUITE RIGHT WITH THIS SIT. THE MECH CONTINUED TO CHK; LOOKING AT THE TURBOCHARGER FOR OIL AND ANY OTHER PROB THAT WOULD CAUSE A PROP PROB OR AN OVERHEAT. AFTER ALL THAT HE SAYS TO ME; THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT COULD CAUSE A HEAT PROB WOULD BE A FUEL PROB. HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO TEST THE FUEL AND AT THE SAME TIME; THE GENERAL MGR DISTR ME A LITTLE BIT WITH OPTIONS FOR THE PAX. WHEN I RETURNED; HE ASKED ME WHAT MY RECEIPT SAID AND I SHOWED HIM THAT MY RECEIPT SAID 20 GALS AVG. WE THEN LOOKED AT THEIR RECEIPT AND IT SAID; JET A. SO THAT'S WHEN WE CONFIRMED WHAT HAPPENED. AFTER TALKING WITH THE GENERAL MGR LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE COMPANY DID KNOW WHAT HAD HAPPENED THE NIGHT OF THE INCIDENT. IN MY OPINION; THE MORNING MAINT PROC WAS JUST A SHOW.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.