Full Fuel on an Aircraft Parked on a Slope

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pelmet
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Full Fuel on an Aircraft Parked on a Slope

Post by pelmet »

A good example of how a flight attendant can point out an issue on an aircraft to the pilots. Something that should be encouraged.....

Also a good example of what can happen when filling the tanks when on a slope. I have had this happen before. It might make sense to re-position an aircraft(if reasonably possible) or try to find a parking spot to begin with that is level. Easier said than done in many cases.

C-FECI, an Aerospatiale ATR-42-300 operated by Calm Air International, was conducting fueling
operations on the apron at Rankin Inlet (CYRT), NU. The fuel order of 9500 total pounds was
requested. During the end of the fueling of the aircraft, the aircraft was boarded with 5 passengers.
The flight attendant then notified the flight crew that fuel was leaking from the right wing onto the
ground. The aircraft was deplaned and the fuel gauges were indicating 4850 pounds in the right
tank and 4630 pounds in the left tank.

The fuel spill of 5 to 10 litres was contained and cleaned up using an environmental spill kit. The
aircraft was parked on uneven ground with the right wing low. The operator reported that fuel had
entered the right surge tank and overflowed via the NACA vent.
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JasonE
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Re: Full Fuel on an Aircraft Parked on a Slope

Post by JasonE »

I've watched this happen in a 172. Filled the low tank first, then the high one and it started to drain downhill! Easy fix, turn the airplane level.
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Re: Full Fuel on an Aircraft Parked on a Slope

Post by digits_ »

It's not just a slope. I had a strut on one side that was a bit lower than the other side. The resulting weight difference only made things worse...

It was caused by an AME bumping the fuel selector handle, so it was in between detents.
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pelmet
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Re: Full Fuel on an Aircraft Parked on a Slope

Post by pelmet »

digits_ wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 10:06 am It's not just a slope. I had a strut on one side that was a bit lower than the other side. The resulting weight difference only made things worse...

It was caused by an AME bumping the fuel selector handle, so it was in between detents.
That is a good point. Aircraft with narrow base landing gear on the fuselage) and wide wingspans are more vulnerable to this. A crossfeeding leak on a parked aircraft can turn into a situation where the more the aircraft starts to lean the faster things get worse. If it it a parked aircraft, all this can be happening, perhaps overnight with no one noticing.

Such an aircraft design is typically a high wing aircraft and the pilot may have parked it in such a way that there are obstacles that seemed to be well clear of the wing(vertically) but end up causing damage as the wing slowly pushes down(more than you ever expected) on it with increasing force.

A rare combination of circumstances but something to consider on such a type when parking. I have been told a specific story of this happening by a credible source along with another close call simply due to improper fueling procedure.
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Re: Full Fuel on an Aircraft Parked on a Slope

Post by Redneck_pilot86 »

Years ago I discovered a sunken caravan on floats tied to the dock. The fuel selectors had been left on, and fuel transferred to the wing away from the dock - the more that transferred, the lower it got, so the faster it transferred, until the float went under and the hatches filled up. Luckily the other float and the ropes to the dock were able to support the aircraft.
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