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Wrong fuel tank cap leads to accident
The pilot reported that during the preflight inspection, he filled the Piper J-4A’s forward (main) fuel tank to about 1 inch below the top and noted that the auxiliary fuel tank contained 4 gallons of fuel. The pilot used a stick to “dip” the two fuel tanks and validate the amount of fuel in them. The pilot planned on departing from North Omaha Airport (3NO) in Nebraska for flight operations in the airport’s traffic pattern. Before the takeoff, the fuel selector was positioned for the forward… (generalaviationnews.com) More...
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I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that maybe the inspection wasn’t as thorough as it could have been.
Great question, though. Hard-hitting.
Great question, though. Hard-hitting.
There are good annual inspections and cheap annual inspections.
Unless you can see the bills, you can't tell which is which.
It would have been a great catch if the mechanic caught this. But does every mechanic look at EVERY PART OF EVERY PLANE?
No, they don't. They might not even have removed the fuel cap unless the pilot told them of a specific concern with it.
It was an expensive lesson for the pilot and their insurance company. Leave it at that.
Unless you can see the bills, you can't tell which is which.
It would have been a great catch if the mechanic caught this. But does every mechanic look at EVERY PART OF EVERY PLANE?
No, they don't. They might not even have removed the fuel cap unless the pilot told them of a specific concern with it.
It was an expensive lesson for the pilot and their insurance company. Leave it at that.
In reading this, I feel that a multitude of mistakes led up to this accident. The fuel cap itself had two gaskets that were worn and cracked and should have been replaced if not the entire fuel cap. There was no manufacturer or aircraft type stamped or etched on the fuel cap which would not let someone know that it was the incorrect fuel cap. Memorizing part numbers like that is probably not something that a pilot would expect to have to do. And the fuel cap obviously had been there before he did his inspection, at least that's what I got from the article if I read it correctly, so he wouldn't have thought that an incorrect part was on the aircraft. Still, he should have inspected the fuel cap and noticed the worn and cracked gaskets. The mechanic is also responsible for the aircraft which is one reason he shared the blame. It's a shame that a series of mistakes led up to the aircraft crashing like it did. But, it is an important lesson for someone to learn if they read the article. You can't be too careful with an inspection, never too careful. There's nothing wrong with being over cautious and going beyond what's required.
How does a 1940s era GM fuel cap get on a 1940s plane unless it's been there for a long time? Probably long before this owner had it. 2501621 is the GM Patent number for a vented fuel cap from 1947, https://patents.google.com/patent/US2501621
I sure you can find automotive partsI used by the manufacturer on a 1940s plane, and later models too. Of course with a changed part number.
Really? Which of us would even know what the proper fuel cap for a 1940 J4 should look like? Near as I can tell, they used & modified all kinds of automotive parts back then. Saw a 40's ercoupe with a car-looking cap with a hole drilled in it for a cork bobber & a wire the other day. Hell, subject cap might have replaced in the 60's sometime.
Not finding the worn cap seals is one thing. Not recognizing the wrong cap on an antique is another entirely. I know this is a minority view today, but any vented cap that fit & sealed back in those days was probably fine.
Not finding the worn cap seals is one thing. Not recognizing the wrong cap on an antique is another entirely. I know this is a minority view today, but any vented cap that fit & sealed back in those days was probably fine.
Why wasn't the incorrect fuel cap (It had a part number of 2501621 etched on it with no manufacturer name displayed -from the article) found during the most-recent annual inspection?