Airlines put on alert over fuel contaminant

Airlines including Air New Zealand and Qantas have been placed on alert following the discovery of a mystery contaminant in some aircraft fuel filters.
The black sludge has been found on several aircraft using Jet A1 fuel – there are more than 500 in this country, including Boeing 747s, 767s and 737s, medium-sized passenger planes and helicopters.
But officials are playing down any safety risk, despite several incidents in which pilots have received inflight warnings.
In 1999 more than 5000 light planes were grounded in Australia for almost a month following a fuel contamination scare. Several aircraft lost power during flight, including two engine failures during or immediately after take-off.
Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Bill Sommer said this was completely different, with the black sludge more an “annoyance” rather than a safety issue. It was a problem that, left unchecked, could build up over a “longer term”.
The problems came to light after incidents in which cockpit warning signs indicated some filter clogging. The filters were later checked and the black sludge found.
“Initial indications are that the black material in the filters was largely inorganic in nature and consisted primarily of the elements sulphur, iron, sodium and calcium,” the CAA says in an industry advisory.
It has told airlines and operators to be extra vigilant during checks of the filters. These checks – which vary between every 200-2000 hours of flying time – are also being done more frequently.
Officials, airlines and fuel companies are mystified about the substance. The sludge has been sent to laboratories for analysis.
The authority said the reports of the sludge had come from around the country and involved fuel sourced from different companies and locations.
“Fuel supply companies have advised that an extra high level of vigilance is being maintained in the monitoring of the fuel supply installations, pipelines and tankers. Caution is being maintained at all levels of the fuel supply chain,” said the CAA advisory.
It added that discolouration and contamination had been found on various types of planes in New Zealand, including “large-medium size air transport aircraft, to agricultural aircraft and helicopters”.
It said the problems did not appear to be related to “blockages reported in December 2003”, which were not made public.