Europa-List: Fuel filters

[Raimo Toivio <raimo.toivio@rwm.fi>]

All

I have in OH-XRT original Purolator-filters as per manual.
During the very first flight (about 10 hrs) I had an engine quit 
situation /fuel pressure
was near 0 and that was at the height of 4000 ft - so no dramatic at 
all. 
Switching reserve and fuel pump and Rotax was happy again. 
Reason: the main filter was full of stuff which was sanding dust 
(I sent the sample to the fuel lab). I had changed filters in every two
hours but that was not enough. I was happy about my dual filter system.

Some engine hours later the main filter was broken: Reason for that 
unknown,
maybe it was too tight or what so ever. I changed those glass filters to 
the 
original Rotax filters. Those filters are plastic, one piece, no 
O-rings, 
throw-away-when-dirt and no possible to assemble wrong way. 
I do like them. You can be sure I was happy I have 
extra fuel drainages below both seat pans. Just in case.

Otherwise there would have been a fuel bath in the cockpit.

Fly safe and dry...

Raimo
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Thomas Scherer 
  To: europa-list@matronics.com 
  Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2007 6:58 AM
  Subject: Europa-List: N81EU incident - the culprit


  Hi All,

  today I can report with confidence that the reason for the power loss 
in N81EU on Feb 24 was fuel starvation.

  I had changed the fuel filter on the main-line the day before the 
incident and as you can see on this photograph:

  <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tosstudio/644899802/"; 
title="Photo Sharing"><img 
src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1252/644899802_5320589274.jpg"; 
width="500" height="367" alt="culprit" /></a>

  the fuel line was worn (10 year old factory supplied original). One 
strand of the tube did get into the fuel filter inlet and restricted 
fuel flow.

  I had sufficient fuel in the line for the take-off roll, yet during 
the early part of the climb-out the engine quit.

  ~~~~~~~~

  I shall later report on the moments right after that and the sequence 
of the forced landing. Would like to discuss it with Kim Prout though 
first to make it more authoritative.

  be well - safe Landings

  <Thomas, N81EU>