Med Flight Down

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Quote: That's why I never left the airplane at an out station until the fuel truck showed up, I wanted to see which one they were going to use! Lots of line boys didn't know the difference between a turbo-prop and a recip. More than a few times the 100LL truck showed up to fuel our TURBO Commander. It didn't help that it looked a lot like a Shrike from a distance, which was a recip.

Recip airplanes with "TURBO" decals used to be prone to getting fueled with jet juice. I think the FAA ultimately issued ADs to remove all those decals.
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Quote: Recip airplanes with "TURBO" decals used to be prone to getting fueled with jet juice. I think the FAA ultimately issued ADs to remove all those decals.
I think there are supposed to be red decals around the filler hole on the aircraft that specify what type of fuel goes in, and the different nozzles as mentioned above, but obviously, nothing is 'fool proof'.
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You could ask Bob Hoover about paying attention during fueling Commanders! There's a famous pic of him signing autographs while the line boy fills up his Shrike with Jet A. The resulting crash was survivable, fortunately for all.

GF
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Quote: Recip airplanes with "TURBO" decals used to be prone to getting fueled with jet juice. I think the FAA ultimately issued ADs to remove all those decals.
I think the AD was to put a collar in the fuel port so the JetA nozzle wouldn't fit.
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The pilot was a good friend and a very good pilot! 1 daughter and a boy on the way. He will be missed!
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Quote: I think the AD was to put a collar in the fuel port so the JetA nozzle wouldn't fit.
Also to remove the bling Turbo decals in at least some cases (aztec-F turbo).
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Quote: You could ask Bob Hoover about paying attention during fueling Commanders! There's a famous pic of him signing autographs while the line boy fills up his Shrike with Jet A. The resulting crash was survivable, fortunately for all.

GF
Wow! I'd love to see that picture if you can find it!

It just goes to show you that even the best can fk up on any given day. I think I recall hearing something about that back when it happened. I also heard he dug a groove into the runway at Reno while landing his P51...gear up!

He went around when he heard the grinding, put the gear down, and then landed safely, but the prop was toast.
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Here's the Wiki entry. IIRC, the pic was in Flying magazine at the time. Don't know how to find, but if might be in the attic.

Quote:
Hoover Nozzle and Hoover RingEdit

A perhaps-undesired recognition is the "Hoover Nozzle" used on jet-fuel pumps. The Hoover Nozzle is designed with a flattened bell shape. The Hoover Nozzle cannot be inserted in the filler neck of a plane with the "Hoover Ring" installed, thus preventing the tank from accidentally being filled with jet fuel.

This system was given this name following an accident in which Hoover was seriously injured, when both engines on his Shrike Commander failed during takeoff. Investigators found that the plane had just been fueled by line personnel who mistook the piston-engine Shrike for a similar turboprop model, filling the tanks with jet fuel instead of avgas (aviation gasoline).[27] There was enough avgas in the fuel system to taxi to the runway and take off, but then the jet fuel was drawn into the engines, causing them to stop.

Once Hoover recovered, he widely promoted[28] the use of the new type of nozzle with the support and funding of the National Air Transportation Association, General Aviation Manufacturers Association and various other aviation groups (the nozzle is now required by Federal regulation on jet fuel pumps).[29][30]
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I also never leave the aircraft until the truck shows up. Or at least watch carefully frommthe fbo window. Had a full load of pax one day, and the fueler didnt know what "tabs" meant, and so he topped it off. (40gal difference) I was 250lbs overweight, had to have then drain/suck out 40 gallons. Refused to pay the fuel removal, told them to contact my employer if you really think this is my fault. Never heard back.
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Quote: I also never leave the aircraft until the truck shows up. Or at least watch carefully frommthe fbo window. Had a full load of pax one day, and the fueler didnt know what "tabs" meant, and so he topped it off. (40gal difference) I was 250lbs overweight, had to have then drain/suck out 40 gallons. Refused to pay the fuel removal, told them to contact my employer if you really think this is my fault. Never heard back.
What does "tabs" mean?
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