Here is what your attached .zip file says. 1. Water condensation in aircraft fuel tanks is no myth, and anyone who does not believe this is an accident waiting to happen, and does not know what they are talking about when they claim water condensation in fuel tanks is a myth. I have seen this happen with hangared aircraft that when they are put away with less than full fuel tanks in the Midwest. Aircraft only have to sit a short time for this to occur, not just after a while, but more likely after a while. Refer to Airplane Flying Handbook FAA-H-8083-3A, p. 2-5 and Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, go to links, download and save, they are free and good to have for aviation knowledge: http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aircraft/airplane_handbook/media/FAA-H-8083-3B.pdf FAA-H-8083-25A Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge http://www.personal.psu.edu/lnl/001/faa/faa-h-8083-25-1of4.pdf 2. Brown sludge is some other contaminate, I almost would be worried about this than water. 3. As far as FAA reports, they are actually NTSB accident reports, the NTSB investigates events that are defined as accidents per Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Title 49 Part 830. The FAA investigates events that are defined as incidents or lesser events. Just so you are able to speak to this when asked, and refer to this: eCFR ? Code of Federal Regulations 4. I will find NTSB accident investigation proof as water condensation as probable cause(s) to accidents, especially fatal accidents. I will have to do some research and get back to you with specific accidents, so standby on this, please, but here are a couple. Look at these in the mean time: http://download.aopa.org/epilot/2010/100730cessnasaib.pdf http://download.aopa.org/epilot/2008/ac20-125.pdf?WT.mc_id=&wtmcid; Accident, with fatalities, WPR11FA166 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation Accident occurred Wednesday, March 16, 2011 in Long Beach, CA Aircraft: BEECH 200, registration: N849BM Injuries: 5 Fatal,1 Serious. "The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be: The pilots failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during a momentary interruption of power from the left engine during the initial takeoff climb. Contributing to the accident was the power interruption due to water contamination of the fuel, which was likely not drained from the fuel tanks by the pilot during preflight inspection as required in the POH. NTSB Identification: FTW97LA307. Accident occurred Saturday, August 09, 1997 in EAGLE, CO Aircraft: Cessna T210, registration: N1119W Injuries: 2 Serious,1 Minor. The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be: water contamination of the fuel, which led to a total loss of engine power and a forced landing. Factors relating to the accident were: the delay in refueling the aircraft by the FBO, which allowed condensation to form in the fuel tanks, and inadequate preflight by the pilot. Look NTSB accident investigations by year, month, and day: N T S B - Aviation Accidents - Index of Months
Wasn't the BA 777 crash-landing at Heathrow caused by water in the fuel lines that had frozen at altitude, but then liquified on approach and caused the resultant loss of power that led to the accident?
As I remember it ,this was the cause. Fifty years ago Boeing was shocked to find extensive structural damage inside the wing tank space of some Air France and Pan Am 707's that had been operating in the Carib. Caused by microbes living off of jet fuel while they were suspended in the water inside of the tanks. The fuel vents were under the wing tips and unable to ingest anything but air. Refueling was accomplished some times at places far from the Carib. as well as in the Carib. Yet many gallons of water had condensed in the tanks.
water in fuel is not disputed, CONDENSATION can only account for small amouts of water, serious amounts of water are either pumped in with contaminated fuel or is preciptated out of contaminated fuel or enters through bad seals on fuel filler caps... fuel can have free water and absorbed water... air can only hold a limited amount of water... this value multiplied by the volume of a tank will give the amount of water that can condense per "complete inhale and exhale" cycle, assuming total condensation, amounts to drops realtive to the size of the tank... this also assumes that a tank is completely evacuated and fully refilled with totally saturated air... this is physically impossible in a normal daily cycle of temperature most fuels like gasoline, jet fuel, diesel all will grow "crud"... a tank with stale fuel becomes a dangerous ecosystem gasoline and other fuels start to deteriorate after 30 days, are usable for about 6 mnths, after a year the fuel becomes very questionable... fuel systems that use return lines accelerate the deterioration, since the fuel has been exposed to high pressure and heat ( water in fuel freezes before the fuel itself) some aircraft fuel systems heat the fuel to fuel to keep it from changing viscosity and freezing when exposed to cold temps, there are additives that need to be used for fuel systems that do not heat fuel and exposed to freezing temps the FAA reports only deal with water as a source of fuel system failure, but do not deal with how the water got there... condensation as a source for significant amounts of water has been debunked many times over... again not disputing water as a cause of failure, but it is something other than condensation that allowed for dangerous levels of water...
