Near Death Experience

16 posts in this topic

Posted

I filled my tanks with gas last night and went flying to Knik Glacier.  Beautiful flight.  Towed my plane home and pulled in the garage like normal.  Went to bed with good memories.  However, I woke up this morning and there was a smell of gas all over the house.  I immediately checked the garage and their was a puddle of gas on the garage floor underneath one wing. 

What happened?  Well, the angle of the wing when parked and folded back and the amount of gas in the wing was enough to block the vent and gas was pushed out of the tank and onto the garage floor.  The boiler was kicking on like normal in the garage to heat the house.  Had enough fumes been present the roof could have been blown off the garage.

I now know that if I have to much fuel in my tanks the tail needs to be elevated while parked so the tank can breath.  If the wings are not folded back for towing this is not and issue.

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Posted

Glad it didn't light up on you!  Also, pay attention to going from outside in the cold to inside a warm garage.. The gas WILL expand and if your close enough to full it will overflow the tanks as well.  I ALWAYS use a jiggler hose and empty my tanks before I fold the wings.  It only takes a few minutes to pull the fuel out.  When you leave a lot of fuel in it then your putting more stress on the wings when folded and addint more weight to the tailwheel, its heavy enough already when the wings are folded.

 

:BC:

 

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Posted

Yep,  I am pickup up a hose today.  That was a close call.  Amazing how a little oversight can lead to disaster.

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Posted

I empty my tanks also. It's easy-I use a clear piece of fuel line (so I can see), start a siphon and finish folding the airplane. Am thinking this will help with tank longevity, especially if I accidentally get ethanated!

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Posted

It's a cinch as well 5gal jugs positioned below the header tank drain utilizing a funnel.  While the aircraft is being prepped for moving, fuel can be  emptying.

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Posted

A little encouragement to do all fueling and fuel draining outside.  A mechanic was doing an annual inspection on a Cessna and draining fuel inside an end T hangar at the airport here a couple months ago.  Fuel started running along the bottom of the wing.  He started wiping it up with a rag and static caused it to ignite. The hangar was on the up wind end of the hangars with wind blowing about 30 mph pushing the flames right down the row.  It burned the two end hangars. The fire department was able to stop it at the first fire wall.  Notice the sheet rock there.

 

The only thing remaining of the planes is the engines.  I counted 6 engines.  The one rotax muffler you see at the top of one photo was a Gyro copter.

3226-What\'s Left of the Hangar That Burned July 15.jpg

3227-Remains of Airplane- Gyrocopter Muffler Behind It.jpg

3229-Engine & Firewall (Firewall Worked!).jpg

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Posted

The Gyrocopter had a good firewall.  Nice to know!

Mark

 

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Posted

Things can go horribly wrong very fast. 

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Posted (edited)

Things can go horribly wrong very fast. 

When I was Kid I worked on a Forest Service Helitack crew.  We had all kinds of Fire extinguishers and such on the heliport with strict policy to have some ready with a fire extinguisher etc when fueling the helicopter.  Our Pilot...the old man of the crew was a 22 year old viet nam vet...told us in private that unless there was someone in the helicopter that needed to be rescued to not ever try and put out a fire in the helicopter, just get away fast as possible and stay away from it.

Edited by tcj

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Posted (edited)

While we are on the subject. I will let you know about my experience recently with the "mr Funnel" filter/funnel product. I use non ethanol mogas and the heavy square moto cross type gas cans. It was the second time for me to use the mr funnel. I was filling my gas can in the bed of my truck with the mr funnel sitting on top of the can filtering the gas. I had to hold the nozzle out away from the funnel about 4" to keep from splashing gas all over the place. I was standing in the truck and was thinking how much swirling gas was going on in the funnel about the time it flashed and ignited. I had a fireball of about 3' diameter flash. I released the trigger and put the nozzle down on my tailgate and had to put out a couple of very small dribble fires while the fire in the funnel remained burning. I looked around and the entire parking lot was concrete and open so I threw the funnel out into the parking lot before it could melt and dump the gas all over the place. luckily the funnel prevented the gas can from igniting also. I let the gas burn off and then put out the burning plastic funnel. I will say this. I am a 27 year fire fighter and have NEVER seen static ignite gas before. It made a believer out of me. I do believe the gap between the nozzle and can  plus the swirling fuel is what caused the static. I have since changed my fueling practices ( I no longer use the mr funnel, I place the cans on the ground and I make sure the nozzle is in direct contact with the plastic container hoping that any static is bonded between the can and the nozzle, I also have a fire extinguisher within reach while filling my plane) Plastic is not a very good conductor so it is not easily bonded. I have been filling plastic gas cans the same way for almost 40 yrs with NEVER a problem until using the mr funnel. Not saying it is a bad product, just saying the way I used it was obviously not correct. Maybe I was just lucky for 40 years, it just seems coincidental the second time I use it this happens. We all do some dumb stuff sometimes luckily I didn't burn my truck or me and maybe someone else can gain something from this. We all get complacent but as I learned static is real and will bite.

 

Edited by tx_swordguy
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Posted

I do use a Mr funnel every time I refuel a plane from the can, but never used it when filling gas cans at a station.  I have heard that you should never fill the cans in the back of the truck but rather have them sitting on the ground.  JImChuk

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Posted

I think there were a few things at work.. fueling the cans in the back of the truck is a big big no no. There are signs all over the place at our local gas stations and if they see you doing it they will hit the big red panic button and shut the pumps down.

I too used to fuel my cans using the Mr. Funnel but it was such a pain trying to fill them slow enough and to keep the nozzle in contact with the funnel that I just started using it from the cans to the tanks on the plane.

Glad you were able to get the fire out and keep from burning down your truck and the gas station!  Most people would have panicked and run and watched it all go to hell in a hand basket.

 

:BC:

 

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Posted (edited)

That would be a scary situation for sure, glad it ended ok.

I sourced some free ~5 gal roto molded containers for my E-free fuel. They were originally intended for commercial car wash concentrate and are opaque so you can see the fuel level. I've marked capacity graduations on the exterior and added a long, flexible spout hose, so far working great but they are heavy to lift onto a wing. I do have a plastic bed liner in my truck so I always fill on the ground. Immediately prior to filling either the truck or any container, I always touch metal on the truck to discharge any static electricity (have noticed static shock more than once). I always make sure the fill nozzle contacts the container neck and even keep my non-squeezing hand directly on the metal nozzle and container neck for grounding when pumping fuel.

I do use a Mr. Funnel when putting fuel in the plane but don't like dealing with the amount of residual fuel left in the funnel or trying to keep it steady with no sloshing when pouring from a heavy container high up. I haven't had much luck using a Jiggler to fill, maybe I got a bad one, thinking of trying one of those self stop, battery operated fuel transfer sticks in the container setting on wing. Hesitant to do that on my KF4 , didn't want to knock off a VG, but the Aerotrek doesn't have them. Probably should just make up a 12v fuel transfer system/station with remote on/off switch or bite the bullet and buy a shit ton of 2-1/2 gal containers. It's hell to get old I tell ya...

Edited by dholly

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Posted

Like I said. I have always done it that way. That is what got me (creature of habit) only difference was the mr funnel. Not to say I have always been doing it right, just that I have been lucky for 40 yrs and the only difference was the mr funnel. I know the why/ how it happened and being a fire fighter I knew that explosion was not a problem due to too much gas fumes in the can. As I said I saw the foaming swirling gas and at the time it flashed I was already starting to think " you know I bet that is building up some (ignition) static". Brain was just a second or two late. Hopefully someone can learn from my experience. Telling people at the fire station, I have not found one person that has had, knows, or even heard of  anyone that has had static ignite gas like that. It CAN happen so be a little more careful than I was.

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Posted

That would be a scary situation for sure, glad it ended ok.

I sourced some free ~5 gal roto molded containers for my E-free fuel. They were originally intended for commercial car wash concentrate and are opaque so you can see the fuel level. I've marked capacity graduations on the exterior and added a long, flexible spout hose, so far working great but they are heavy to lift onto a wing. I do have a plastic bed liner in my truck so I always fill on the ground. Immediately prior to filling either the truck or any container, I always touch metal on the truck to discharge any static electricity (have noticed static shock more than once). I always make sure the fill nozzle contacts the container neck and even keep my non-squeezing hand directly on the metal nozzle and container neck for grounding when pumping fuel.

I do use a Mr. Funnel when putting fuel in the plane but don't like dealing with the amount of residual fuel left in the funnel or trying to keep it steady with no sloshing when pouring from a heavy container high up. I haven't had much luck using a Jiggler to fill, maybe I got a bad one, thinking of trying one of those self stop, battery operated fuel transfer sticks in the container setting on wing. Hesitant to do that on my KF4 , didn't want to knock off a VG, but the Aerotrek doesn't have them. Probably should just make up a 12v fuel transfer system/station with remote on/off switch or bite the bullet and buy a shit ton of 2-1/2 gal containers. It's hell to get old I tell ya...

When Bob had his kitfox he would use a couple 2.5 gallon jugs, while he was pouring one into the wing he would have another one filling with the jiggler hose from hit 5 gallon cans on the trailer into the empty 2.5 on the ground.  Then he would just keep swapping the 2.5 gallon containers refilling from the larger container.  you could easily do the same thing using your car wash jugs (I have 10 or 12 of the 15 gallon jugs) I use to haul fuel in the plane or in the boat when I need extra gas.  Use them to haul fuel to the cabin as well.

It will be a bit slower using the refill the 2.5 gallon jug method, but its a lot cheaper than buying a shit ton of the smaller jugs.

:BC:

 

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Posted

The Mr. Funnels are groundable, made from a carbon plastic that conducts electricity; so I always try to ground mine when I fill the plane. 

I had a similar experience many years ago when filling cans for my old MKIV.  I was using the Mr. Funnel in the plastic can and had it on the ground at the gas station. I had a good amount of gas in the can and I think I let the nozzle come away from the edge of the funnel and there was a spark that ignited the gas in the funnel.  Needless to say it was a shock. I tossed the hose on the concrete and was trying to figure out the next best thing to do since I didn't want to pull the funnel out and risk blowing up the whole gas can full of gas.  Unfortunately I didn't have a fire extinguisher with me but the guy on the other side of the island did and he put it out with the extinguisher.  I always felt that the Mr. Funnel saved me because the funnel with the screen kept the fire from going down into the can.  I also think the grounding system on that pump was faulty and that allowed there to be a static spark from the nozzle.  I learned to always have a fire extinguisher handy as well.

Jeff, glad yours was a learning experience and not a disaster!

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