Service difficulty report · Vent Line

Difficulty date
June 10, 2026
Submitted
June 10, 2026
Operation
General aviation
Engine
Rotax ROTAX912ULS
Part
Vent Line
Condition
Faulted
Location
Zone 400
Stage of operation
LD
How discovered
V
Nature of condition
B, A
Precautionary procedure
O

As reported to the FAA. Reports are unverified, and codes are left as the FAA publishes them.

What was found

THIS IS AN AMPHIBIAN DESIGN WITH THE ENG MOUNTED ABOVE THE WING. THE SEAMAX M22 HAS HAD ENGINE FIRES. THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 5 FUEL VENT LINES THAT EXHAUST INTO THE ENGINE NACELLE. 2 COME FROM THE RIGHT WING TANK, 2 COME FROM THE LEFT WING TANK, AND 1 COMES FROM THE HEADER TANK. USING UV TRACER DYE, DETERMINED THAT NOT ONLY IS FUEL VAPOR EXHAUSTS IN TO THE NACELLE, BUT UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, RAW FUEL WILL ENTER THE ENGINE NACELLE VIA THE HEADER TANK VENT LINE. I'VE SEEN NO EVIDENCE OF THE RIGHT OR LEFT TANK VENTS EJECTING RAW FUEL, BUT DEFINITELY THE HEADER TANK LINE WILL EJECT RAW FUEL. THE ISSUE OCCURS WHEN THE TANKS ARE FULL, ROUGH WATER TAKEOFFS, AS WELL AS STEEP TURNS. INTERESTINGLY, THE OIL TANK VENT LINE EXHAUSTS OUTSIDE OF THE NACELLE.