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, the pilot experienced unexpected engine "coughing," raising concerns about engine failure.
• Post-landing, several ounces of water were discovered in a wing tank, attributed to contaminated fuel received at a previous stop.
• The contamination was missed during preflight because the pilot rushed and checked sumps without waiting for the fuel to settle.
• This incident served as a critical reminder of the importance of thorough preflight inspections, particularly waiting after fueling before checking all sumps for contaminants.

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