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waving and hesitated. I told them to stop and look at the truck. They did and suddenly realized why I was alarmed. The hose was retracted and a Jet A truck was brought out. It is conceivable that the crew was so used to fueling me with 100LL for the prior 10 years that it just didn’t register that this was a different aircraft for me now. The consequences of using 100LL in a turbine engine are not as severe as the reverse that occurred for Dr. Dan.
I asked where instructor Ben was as he was nowhere to be seen on the ramp. They said he was inside the FBO. I went in to look for him and sure enough, he was leaning against the reception desk with a cup of coffee, relaxed and chatting. He looked at me and asked why I looked so disturbed. Once I told him what just happened on the ramp, he was also disturbed and very apologetic as well. He agreed never to let that happen again.
For the next 25 years, and until I just ended my flying career in November 2019, I never forgot that incident. And as a result, I made a point of ALWAYS being present as my aircraft was being fueled, at least until I saw the truck and confirmed it was Jet A. Even at our local FBO where the 1995 incident occurred, I would not call a fuel order in ahead of my arrival and trust that the correct fuel source was used. We allowed time to fuel with ourselves being present before our departure. Over those years, there was one other incident where the incorrect truck was brought up initially and we caught it. This was at an out-of-town FBO.
My point in this story is that 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. And it starts with pre-flight planning, pre-flight inspection (including fueling) and checklists. It’s a responsibility the pilot has to him/herself and passengers. If relaying this one incident I experienced would save one life in the future, it would make it worthwhile to have waited to send my first letter-to-the-editor at the end of my 35-plus year flying career. I hope you find value in this story. In honor of Dr. Dan and his legacy.
Barry D. Stamm, MD
Barry’s story perfectly accentuates my goal, and what I believe Dr. Dan’s goal would be, following this trag- edy: shine a light on the real possibility of misfueling to prevent future accidents. The FAA and National Air Transportation Association (NATA) have taken various steps to confront the problem, but have you?
Thank you again to Barry and others for acting on their impulse to write to me. Sharing aviation stories and learn- ing from one another is precisely the mission behind T &T.
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