Water, Water Everywhere

While retrieving the airplanes paperwork and keys, I was told its airspeed indicator (ASI) was acting up. It was reading low, according to the FBO, and the airplane was due for some shop time later that day. The shop hadnt opened yet that morning, though, and I had plans later in the day, making a delay problematic. I asked if the airplane was grounded. No, was the response.

Editorial Staff

Monday, June 25, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

The DA40 NG delivered to Virgin Islands flight school UFLYVI. Diamond Aircraft

Key Takeaways:

A student pilot knowingly flew a Cessna 150 on a solo cross-country flight despite being informed its airspeed indicator (ASI) was faulty and reading low.
The ASI malfunction was caused by a small amount of water in the pitot system, likely due to the aircraft being parked outside without a cover.
The incident highlights critical lessons: pilots must not disregard maintenance warnings or presume superior judgment, and proper equipment protection (like pitot tube covers) and clear FBO maintenance procedures are essential.

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I was still a student pilot, past my first solo, but working on building cross-country time. The day’s plan was a solo round-trip flight to a towered airport about 100 miles from home base. My chosen platform was a well-worn but mostly reliable Cessna 150.

While retrieving the airplane’s paperwork and keys, I was told its airspeed indicator (ASI) was acting up. It was reading low, according to the FBO, and the airplane was due for some shop time later that day. The shop hadn’t opened yet that morning, though, and I had plans later in the day, making a delay problematic. I asked if the airplane was grounded. “No,” was the response.