fixnflyguy
Well Known Member
We all trust those SS braided lines and other flex hoses on our aircraft will seldom fail, and and give them all the standard inspections relevant to the yearly health check or when we have access. I, as an RV builder, A&P, and IA, got the wake-up scare this weekend that sheds some different light on the "normal" inspection. Here is the scenario.. I went to Fla to pick up and fly a recently purchased RV-4 home for a friend who is not yet checked out to fly it. The aircraft was recently condition inspected, regularly flown and didn't seemingly pose any threat to a 3 hour flight back to NC. After the more than normal walk-around pre-flight, I mounted up to depart, with the new owner and a friend standing to the side observing. Boost pump on, 3-4 blades and I get signal from them we have something coming out the cowling. Turns out it was fuel..alot of it, right on the exhaust. De-cowl and find the SS flex line from the carb to the fuel pressure indicator is nearly porous, and weeping out all over. It certainly is undetectable without pressure. This could have been a fireball ! I will add too my inspection criteria, all fuel lines will be checked with pressure applied, and periodic pre-flights will get the same with me not in the cockpit. It would never be seen by someone just going out to fly with no bystander...lessons learned every day. We did get it fixed, and the rest of the adventure home was uneventful...check/replace those flex lines!!