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20170829019139I

Incident · Substantial damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-31-350 · Johnstown, PA · August 29, 2017

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 29, 2017 · 20:50 local
Place
Johnstown, PA
Phase of flight
Ground/Ramp/Ma
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
141A
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N3587P
Reported as
Piper PA-31-350
Reported engine
Lycoming TI0-540 series
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
26,400 total3,800 in this make and model21 in the last 90 days
N3587PRegistered now · Piper PA-31-350S/N 31-8052120Airframe modelPiper PA-31-350Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Contract fuel vendor serviced aircraft with incorrect fuel type. Vendor dispensed approx 6.5 gallons of jet a into the right tank. The pilot, now aware of the contaminated tank, instructed the vendor to top the tank off with 100LL which the pilot thought would dillute the jet a enough. The pilot departed to bwi with an uneventful flight. The return flight to jst the pilot noticed the red altenator and altenator inop light on as he arrived at the gate. The pilot shut down the engine and notified maintenance. The right engine had substantial damage due to the contamination.

As the FAA filed it

CONTRACT FUEL VENDOR SERVICED AIRCRAFT WITH INCORRECT FUEL TYPE. VENDOR DISPENSED APPROX 6.5 GALLONS OF JET A INTO THE RIGHT TANK. THE PILOT, NOW AWARE OF THE CONTAMINATED TANK, INSTRUCTED THE VENDOR TO TOP THE TANK OFF WITH 100LL WHICH THE PILOT THOUGHT WOULD DILLUTE THE JET A ENOUGH. THE PILOT DEPARTED TO BWI WITH AN UNEVENTFUL FLIGHT. THE RETURN FLIGHT TO JST THE PILOT NOTICED THE RED ALTENATOR AND ALTENATOR INOP LIGHT ON AS HE ARRIVED AT THE GATE. THE PILOT SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE AND NOTIFIED MAINTENANCE. THE RIGHT ENGINE HAD SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DUE TO THE CONTAMINATION.