Bangalore crash: Oil firm billed aircraft operator for ATF

Bangalore: Refuelling was the only reason why the ill-fated six-seat Vulcanair Partenavia (P68C) aircraft stopped over at the HAL airport, after its take-off from the Jakkur flying club. Had the right fuel, the blue-dyed low-lead Avgas 100LL, got into its tank, the aircraft would not have crashed within minutes after multiple engine failure. It is now clear that the airport’s oil supplier had billed the aircraft operator for Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) meant only for turbine-powered aircraft.
The investigation team led by the Controller of Air Safety returned to Chennai on Tuesday. But it had apparently clinching evidence to prove that wrong fuel had triggered the crash.
Sources in the Civil Aviation Ministry told The Hindu that the oil company had confirmed that the wrong fuel was used in the aircraft. That fatal error eventually claimed the lives of four commercial pilots.
The refuelling procedure is clearly laid down. The oil supplier has to first show a fuel sample to the flight engineer/pilot to check for contamination. The aircraft is refuelled only after this sample is approved and the flight plan filed.
In the case of the P-68C, the sources said, one of the four pilots assigned the task of filing the flight plan must have overlooked the difference between ATF and Avgas, and wrongly entered the fuel type.
Once the approval comes in, the fuel would be filled to the browser (tanker) and taken to the aircraft for refuel.
The sources were certain that the pilot had noticed the effects of the wrong fuel immediately after take-off. With a fully loaded tank and four passengers, the aircraft may not have gained its usual climb speed of 300 ft per minute.
Before the crash, the pilot had radioed that the aircraft had reached an altitude of 1,000 ft. At this height, the pilot could have glided the aircraft. Yet that did not take place. “The pilot and the others must have panicked.” The aircraft went down, reduced to wreckage in seconds.
12/09/07 Rasheed Kappan/The Hindu

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Categories: Safety Sep 2007