# SAIB HQ-18-08: Engine Fuel and Control Operation with Contaminated Jet Fuel - Type: Special airworthiness information bulletin (advisory, not mandatory) - Status: Historical - Revision: 0 - Issued: December 20, 2017 - Products: Fuel Jet Fuel - Product type: Appliance - PDF: https://openairdocs.org/files/sha256/c4/2b/c42b239604c6a91df3bf5a2904759feb2ae583620862358df8a7440583fd3c5b - FAA DRS: https://drs.faa.gov/browse/excelExternalWindow/1CDDB9CCDF76A93E862581FC0055E5E9.0001 - DRS record last changed: December 20, 2017 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/saib/HQ-18-08 ## Text FAA Aviation Safety **SPECIAL AIRWORTHINESS** INFORMATION BULLETIN SUBJ: Engine Fuel and Control – Operation with Contaminated Jet Fuel SAIB: HQ-18-08 Date: December 20, 2017 This is information only. Recommendations aren’t mandatory. Introduction This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) advises airplane operators, Fixed Base Operators (FBOs), FAA repair stations and Flight Standard District Offices (FSDOs), and foreign civil aviation authorities of certain airplanes that operated with jet fuel contaminated with diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). This SAIB also requests feedback regarding any service difficulties or operational anomalies of the identified airplanes and recommends that the owners of those airplanes consult with the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of their airplane, engine, and auxiliary power unit (APU) to determine the appropriate inspection and corrective maintenance actions on their airplane. At this time, the airworthiness concern is not considered an unsafe condition that would warrant airworthiness directive (AD) action under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR) part 39. Background During the period between November 16 and November 21, 2017, thirty six airplanes with civilian registry identified in Appendix 1 along with 17 other airplanes were serviced with jet fuel containing DEF at Eppley Air Field Airport, Omaha, Nebraska (KOMA). The DEF was inadvertently used instead of fuel system icing inhibitor (FSII) on two refueling trucks at KOMA and injected into the fuel with each truck’s FSII injection system. Only those airplanes identified in Appendix 1 received the contaminated fuel. DEF is a urea-based chemical that is not approved for use in jet fuel. When mixed with jet fuel, DEF will react with certain jet fuel chemical components to form crystalline deposits in the fuel system. These deposits will flow through the aircraft fuel system and may accumulate on filters, fuel metering components, other fuel system components, or engine fuel nozzles. The deposits may also settle in the fuel tanks or other areas of the aircraft fuel system where they may potentially become dislodged over time and accumulate downstream in the fuel system as described above. Several of the identified airplanes have already experienced clogged fuel filters and fuel nozzle deposits that lead to service difficulties and unplanned diversions. The crystalline deposits are not soluble in fuel, so they cannot be removed by flushing the airplane fuel system with jet fuel. The deposits are soluble in methanol and other polar solvents, but use of these chemicals may have adverse consequences on airplanes and engine fuel system materials. Consequently, OEMs should be contacted to develop inspection techniques and corrective maintenance actions appropriate for each specific aircraft model type. Jet fuel that has been contaminated with DEF no longer meets the aviation fuel operating limitations of airplanes certificated to operate on Jet A fuel, and therefore cannot be used on those airplanes. Jet fuel that has been removed from airplanes listed in Appendix 1 should be downgraded to other non–aviation fuel grades and not used on airplanes in the future. 2 The FAA is monitoring the situation to determine if additional action is required. We are requesting that any service difficulties and maintenance and inspection findings on the aircraft identified in Appendix 1 be reported to us in support of this effort. Recommendations The FAA recommends the following: 1. Owners or operators of airplanes identified in Appendix 1 contact their airplane, engine, and APU OEMs to determine the appropriate inspections and maintenance actions to remove ureabased crystalline deposits from the fuel system. This may include the removal and replacement of fuel system parts or components affected by exposure to these deposits. 2. Owners or operators of airplanes identified in Appendix 1 report to the FAA any service difficulties (including fuel filter bypass and clogging incidents), fuel system repairs, and fuel system inspection results related to the presence of these urea-based crystalline deposits. 3. Jet fuel suspected of being contaminated with DEF that has been removed from the airplanes listed in Appendix 1 be downgraded to other non-aviation fuel grades, and not be used on airplanes. Paperwork Reduction Act Burden Statement: A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. The OMB Control Number for this information collection is 2120-0731. Public reporting for this collection of information is estimated to be approximately 5 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, completing and reviewing the collection of information. All responses to this collection of information are voluntary. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to the FAA at: 800 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20591, Attn: Information Collection Clearance Officer, ASP-110. For Further Information Contact Mark Rumizen, Senior Technical Specialist, FAA, 12 New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; phone: (781) 238-7113; mobile: (781) 402-4609; fax: (781) 238-7199; email: mark.rumizen@faa.gov. 3 APPENDIX 1 Civilian Aircraft Fueled by TAC Air (KOMA), Nov. 16-21, 2017 **DATE AIRCRAFT** **REGISTRATION** **AIRCRAFT MAKE, MODEL SERIES** S/N FUEL QTY (gals) 11/16/2017 N141JT PIAGGIO AERO INDUSTRIES, P-180 1141 252 11/16/2017 N56NG PILATUS AIRCRAFT LTD., PC-12/47E 1556 180 11/16/2017 N559RA GATES LEARJET CORP., LR-55C 146 790 11/16/2017 N624PL CESSNA, CE-550 550-0402 50 11/16/2017 N230UH PILATUS AIRCRAFT LTD., PC-12/45 230 132 11/16/2017 N232CL DASSAULT, MYSTERE FALCON 900 9 1039 11/16/2017 N451CL DASSAULT, FALCON 50 223 516 & 484 11/16/2017 N334RJ CESSNA, CE-550 550-0228 550 11/17/2017 N959MA PILATUS AIRCRAFT, LTD., PC-12/47 684 140 11/17/2017 N50VP BEECHCRAFT, BE-C90A LJ-1185 105 & 108 11/17/2017 N61GB RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT CO., BE-400A RK-341 393 11/17/2017 N904HD LEARJET, INC., LR-45 149 331 11/17/2017 N846BE BEECHCRAFT, BE-300 FA-16 119 11/17/2017 N109NS RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT CO., BE-400A RK-452 286 11/17/2017 N355UA GATES LEARJET CORP., LR-55 114 635 11/18/2017 N813JB BEECHCRAFT, BE-C90 LJ-899 131 11/18/2017 N334RJ CESSNA AIRCRAFT CO., CE-550 550-0228 350 11/18/2017 N426GF RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT CO., BE-400A RK-218 162 11/19/2017 N393GH RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT CO., BE-400A RK-240 481 11/19/2017 N624PL CESSNA AIRCRAFT CO., CE-550 550-0402 100 **DATE AIRCRAFT** **REGISTRATION** **AIRCRAFT MAKE, MODEL SERIES** S/N FUEL QTY (gals) 11/19/2017 N200RS BEECHCRAFT, BE-200 BB-1481 330 11/20/2017 N793DC BEECHCRAFT, BE-200 BB-1404 299 11/20/2017 N460EM RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT CO., BE-C90A LJ-1593 210 11/20/2017 N61GB RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT CO., BE-400A RK-341 445 11/20/2017 N426GF RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT CO., BE-400A RK-218 147 11/20/2017 N355CD ROCKWELL INTERNATIONAL CORP., NA-265-65 465-57 301 11/20/2017 N45HF LEARJET INC., LR-45 121 555 11/20/2017 N600CL LEARJET INC., LR-60 110 620 11/21/2017 N381XP RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT CO., BE-400A RK-381 358 & 30 11/21/2017 N32WK PILATUS AIRCRAFT LTD., PC-12/47E 1046 85 & 85 11/21/2017 N904HD LEARJET INC., LR-45 149 585 11/21/2017 N546DH LEARJET INC., LR-45 150 265 11/21/2017 N393GH RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT CO., BE-400A RK-240 335 11/21/2017 N426GF RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT CO., BE-400A RK-218 353 11/21/2017 N109NS RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT CO., BE-400A RK-452 240 & 99 11/21/2017 N924BD RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT CO., BE-400A RK-95 151 --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). 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