Airline operators put on high alert by NCAA over fuel contamination scare

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has released an informative notice called the All Operator's Letter (AOL), notifying airline operators about fuel contamination occurrences within the aviation sector.

This action was taken in response to the identification of a significant amount of water found in the fuel tank of a Max Air aircraft. Consequently, the operation of all Boeing 737 aircraft in Max Air's fleet was temporarily halted last week.

Following the incident that resulted in the grounding of Max Air's aircraft, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) promptly deployed an investigative team to Lagos, Kano, and Abuja—locations where the airline had recently refueled.

The discovery itself prevented a potentially significant incident within the industry, prompting the NCAA to issue an All Operator's Letter (AOL) to inform operators of the dangers and potential risks and hazards linked with aircraft refueling.

According to Daily Trust, this proactive measure was taken amidst the widespread concern and reaction generated by the incident. The NCAA issued AOL085, bearing reference number NCAA/DAWS/AD.1104/AOL085, on July 14, 2023.

This addressed all airlines, aircraft operators, and aviation fuel suppliers and was signed by Gbolahan Abatan, the Director of Airworthiness Standards at NCAA.

The AOL reiterated the strict importance of aircraft refueling safety procedures and precautions in the realm of aviation safety.

The letter read in part: There have been many flight accidents in history caused by fuel contamination resulting in abnormal operation of aircraft engines. Water is a major contaminant, amongst others.

In recent times, the NCAA has been receiving mandatory occurrence reports from airlines and other aircraft operators with issues related to water being found in the aircraft fuel tank of the aircraft.

Recently, there was a report of the discovery of a notable volume of water that was drained from the fuel tank of a Boeing 737 aircraft, indicating a fuel and gauge malfunction in-flight.

In light of this situation, the NCAA has provided guidance to all airlines and operators, urging them to enhance their refueling procedures as outlined in their maintenance control manual/refueling manual and fuel suppliers' operation manual/quality control manual.

Additionally, the NCAA has emphasized the importance of conducting thorough testing and checks on jet fuel quality prior to refueling, with a specific focus on identifying the presence of water in the fuel.

These measures aim to ensure the highest level of safety and prevent potential incidents.

Captain Musa Nuhu, the Director-General of NCAA, stated in an interview regarding the fuel contamination issue that fuel suppliers who are found to be at fault would face the consequence of having their licenses revoked.