Hi all,
In the last couple flights I noticed a slight smell of fuel when changing tanks. My initial thought was a loose connection or that maybe I was going to have to purchase a new fuel valve. I have the standard 4 port brass valve from Van’s and 510 hours on my plane.
So today I investigated after taking off the cover off. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I didn’t have a loose connection nor needed a new fuel valve. The plug that goes in the unused port on the valve was laying on the floor of the cockpit! This was about an easy of a fix as you can get but was still a shock and scary to think about.
I would suggest to all builders to check the tightness of the plug when installing and to others that you should check this on your next condition inspection.
Bullet dodged…
In the last couple flights I noticed a slight smell of fuel when changing tanks. My initial thought was a loose connection or that maybe I was going to have to purchase a new fuel valve. I have the standard 4 port brass valve from Van’s and 510 hours on my plane.
So today I investigated after taking off the cover off. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I didn’t have a loose connection nor needed a new fuel valve. The plug that goes in the unused port on the valve was laying on the floor of the cockpit! This was about an easy of a fix as you can get but was still a shock and scary to think about.
I would suggest to all builders to check the tightness of the plug when installing and to others that you should check this on your next condition inspection.
Bullet dodged…
