My wife and I have enjoyed using our Skyhawk to make trips to visit family and friends, including several trips from our home airport in Frederick, Md. (KFDK), to Lake City, Fla. (KLCQ), where my mother-in-law resides. On one of these trips, I was reminded how important it is to properly preflight the airplane, not rush the process, nor skip any items. 288
Incomplete Preflight
My wife and I have enjoyed using our Skyhawk to make trips to visit family and friends, including several trips from our home airport in Frederick, Md. (KFDK), to Lake City, Fla. (KLCQ), where my mother-in-law resides. On one of these trips, I was reminded how important it is to properly preflight the airplane, not rush the process, nor skip any items. A trip from KFDK to KLCQ requires at least one stop, and depending on winds, weather and comfort, we have made the trip with two legs. This trip, the first leg took us nearly halfway; we got fuel, and had lunch. I seldom miss an opportunity to top off the tanks-having been schooled that fuel on the ground is of little use once airborne-and I look for opportunities to frequent FBOs at general aviation airports. After lunch, I left my wife to go preflight the airplane, thoroughly. And we departed for our next leg.
Key Takeaways:
- During a flight, a pilot experienced intermittent engine "coughing" after an intermediate fuel stop where he admitted to rushing the preflight, not checking all fuel sumps, or waiting for fuel to settle.
- Upon landing, the pilot discovered several ounces of water in a fuel tank, presumed to be from contaminated fuel received at the previous stop.
- The incident highlighted the critical importance of conducting a thorough preflight, emphasizing the need to allow sufficient time for fuel to settle before checking all sumps for contamination.
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