Fuel Contamination: Drain, Settle, Inspect
Around 40% of engine failures involve fuel problems – drain after refuelling and every pre-flight, let fuel settle and check it's blue and clean.
1 min readKapiti Aero Club safety team
Around 40% of engine failures are caused by fuel exhaustion, starvation or contamination.
What is fuel contamination? It happens when foreign substances such as water, dirt or even bits of metal get into the fuel system. This can cause engine failure by blocking fuel lines, damaging components or interfering with combustion.
Best practice
- Always drain the fuel after refuelling.
- Drain from all available points during your pre-flight.
- After refuelling, allow the fuel time to settle.
- If the aircraft has been parked outside or recently refuelled, a fuel drain is especially important.
- Check the fuel is the correct colour (blue for avgas), with no water, dirt or other visible contamination.
If you find contamination, speak with an instructor. If contamination is still present after three drains, the aircraft may need to be checked by engineering.
Discard all drained fuel into one of the club's jerry cans near the fuel trailers – not onto the ground.