Page 4 - Feb 20 TNT

Editor’s Briefing
by Rebecca Groom Jacobs
Misfueling Discussion
“It really doesn’t matter if you are the smartest pilot in the world, or have the most endorsements in your logbook, at the end of the day, it still comes down to diligently checking every box.”
Iwant to thank our readers who reached out to me fol- lowing my December editor’s briefing, “In Honor of Dr. Dan.” I was moved to hear the various ways Dr. Dan’s
story struck a chord with you. (If you missed it, my friend and newer T &T contributor Dan Greenwald tragically lost his life last October in an accident caused by misfueling – you can find the full article on our website).
I feel it is important for us to share in both the highs and lows that come with aviation and it was comforting to hear directly from others. One reader, in particular, shared with me their own close call with misfueling and how the experience subsequently affected his fueling and pre-flight diligence. Immediately upon reading, I knew his story (and his bold reminder for other pilots) needed to be shared as a continuation of the conversation.
I just read the December copy of T &T and noted your editorial about Dr. Dan. I couldn’t help but to respond im- mediately. Many years ago, I had an incident in reverse – being fueled with 100LL instead of Jet A. The consequences would not have been as dire, but the message is the same. My story follows:
I am also a surgeon (retired ophthalmologist) who has just finished a 36-year career as a private pilot (similar schedule to David Miller – I sold my last (fourth) airplane six weeks ago in November (a 2014 Citation M2)). Almost 25 years ago, we had an incident with fueling that was
brought to mind as I read the story of Dr. Dan. And in spite of whatever the FAA, FBO’s, etc. do with training and color-coding, I want to say NOTHING can replace the diligence and attention to detail that is needed by the pilot himself with regards to proper fueling. This is in no way a criticism of Dr. Dan, but a real alert to every other pilot out there.
In 1995, I purchased a 1984 Cheyenne II XL, my first foray into the turbine field after flying single-engine pis- tons for 10 years (Saratoga SP, Malibu 310). We flew the Cheyenne for the next 20 years until we purchased a new Cessna Citation M2 in 2014.
We took a lot of time to get very familiar with the Chey- enne since it was a big transition from single pistons. I hired a local flight instructor who was trained in Cheyenne’s and many other aircraft to spend a lot of time teaching and flying right seat with me until I was totally comfort- able with the aircraft. One day we were meeting at the local FBO to do some air work, and I called my friend/ instructor to tell him I was running a little late getting out of the office and would be about 10 minutes late. He said, “No problem, I’ll get the airplane pulled out and put the fuel order in.” Great.
Shortly thereafter, as I pulled up to the FBO, I noticed the Cheyenne sitting on the ramp with the 100LL fuel truck in front of it and the line crew pulling the hose out of the truck. I immediately honked my horn, flashed my lights and yelled to get their attention. One of them caught my
2 • TWIN & TURBINE / February 2020