I have never parked my airplane after a more or less uneventful flight and been so dismayed at the sight of my wing when I shut down the engine. The flight, approach and landing were textbook, with no hint at all of the excitement that could have greeted me that night. No, the ailerons were fine, the flaps were retracted completely, the strobes intact and the leading edge had very few bugs. Here is my story.
Slow Down Your Flying
Key Takeaways:
- A pilot experienced a series of distractions during a late-night refueling stop, including a broken fuel truck and manual fueling during a sudden rain shower.
- Amidst the chaos, the right wing fuel cap was not properly secured by the fueler, nor was the oversight caught by the pilot during an abbreviated preflight inspection.
- This led to the complete loss of fuel from the right wing during the subsequent flight, underscoring the critical importance of thorough preflight checks, especially when routines are interrupted or distractions are present.
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