Fuel Leak Management in Flight
A fuel leak can have serious consequences, especially because of the risk of fire and fuel starvation. When a fuel leak is detected, it is essential to follow the operational procedures to maintain the safety of the flight. This article highlights how to detect and confirm a fuel leak on A300-600, A310, A320 family, A330, A340, A350, and A380 aircraft. It also recalls which actions to perform, especially shutting down the engine in the case of an engine fuel leak to prevent any risk of engine fire. Fuel leak management for A220 aircraft will be addressed in a future article.
Fuel Microbiological Contamination Treatment
An aircraft fuel tank provides the perfect conditions for microbiological contamination to develop, especially when operating in hot and humid environments. Problems caused by microbiological contamination of fuel can range from inaccurate or erroneous fuel quantity readings to structural corrosion and engine fuel supply difficulties caused by clogged fuel filters. As a result, if treatment is not correctly applied, microbiological contamination can also cause significant safety issues. This article describes why prevention is important and focuses on why it is essential to follow the maintenance procedures when treatment is required.
Safe Aircraft Refuelling
Safe refuelling operations require strict adherence to procedures and careful application of the safety precautions, not only by the refuelling operators but also flight crew, the cabin crew and the other ground operators.This article highlights the safety precautions that must be considered when refuelling an aircraft. It also describes supplementary tasks that are necessary if refuelling when passengers are on-board.
Avoiding Fuel Spills on A320 Family Aircraft
Cases of fuel spillage have been reported to Airbus on A320 family aircraft equipped with fuel transfer jet-pumps in the center tank.This article recalls the protections available against tank overfill. It explains why fuel spillage happened on the reported events and provides recommendations on how to avoid it.
Fuel monitoring on A320 Family aircraft
Since the first A320 entry into service, very few events have involved undetected fuel quantity issues. Yet, coming across a situation where engines shut down by lack of fuel is a situation no one wants to experience.