Fuel Contamination
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During the so called Indonesian Confrontation (rather than a campaign or war) when the Malaysian States were attacked in 1962 by Indonesia particularly those of the North Borneo States of Sabah and Sarawak , helicopters of all the countries comprising the South East Asia Treaty Organisation were often required to refuel their machines from 45-gallon steel drums. The drums were strategically situated in jungle clearings on the border with the Indonesian state of Kalimantan to the south that were the dropping off and lift points for regular service and Special Forces patrols operating along almost 1,000 miles of border between the two opposing forces. During 1963, with the conflict but a few months old, two helicopters crashed within days of each other with the resultant loss of life. |
Accident investigation teams discovered these incidents were caused through water contamination of fuel which had caused hydraulicing to occur in the engine fuel pumps swash plates and hence a complete loss of power. Further investigation into the reasons for the contamination found that the water was getting into partly used barrels of aircraft fuel from climatic conditions inside the drums causing condensation together with rapid and great temperature changes drawing in rain water during the heavy tropical storms that attack Southeast Asia frequently especially during the monsoon periods.
Because of this problem, subsequent to the helicopter crashes, refuelling was only taking place from barrels that had not been previously opened with their seals intact and so a stockpile of partly used barrels was building up in the jungle clearings with the associated wastage of an expensive commodity and an added hazard both to men and machines.
At that time I was Special Projects Senior Technician for the Engineering Workshops of 390 Maintenance Unit based at RAF Seletar, Singapore the MU being heavily involved in the support of all service units employed in Borneo for equipment, servicing and specialist technical support. I was therefore given the task of testing the lightweight pumping equipment that was used for the refuel operation from the barrels to the aircraft for their suitability for the task and to test the French manufactured items used by the Malaysian Air Forces. The test was to ascertain if the equipment was passing water through the filters and if the water dump facilities on the Malaysian equipment were working efficiently On completion of the task I was to submit my report through my boss Squadron Leader Pricket and O/C 390MU for onward transmission to the MoD and their verdict on the outcomes and solutions if any.
Samples of the pumping equipment to be so tested were delivered by 389 MU ( a supply and storage facility) that was also housed at Seletar along with the Malaysian equipment to the General Engineering Workshops along with 45-gallon barrels of fuel and empty drums to contaminate fuel with water ready for testing (see photograph below).
The first tests were on the British-made hand pump, pumping fuel/water from the contaminated barrels into an empty drum that showed all water was being passed along with the fuel and on stripping out the filters from the pumps it was discovered that the filters had totally disintegrated into a terrible mess which resembled soggy papier mâché.
We next tested the French hand pump that incorporated a water collector and a hand operated dump valve with a water level indicator. Again the fuel was passed by pumping from the contaminated to the clean barrel. Provided a watch was kept on the water level indicator and emptied as necessary no water would be transferred. Examination of the filters showed no change or deterioration in the condition of them unlike the British equivalent.
The British had only hand pumps but the Malaysians also had a small motorised version that was much better for the operators in that humid climate that soon exhausted anyone using a hand pump for any period of time as well as dehydrating them through body fluid loss. Therefore the motorised fuel pump was tested after the hand variety. These larger pumps incorporated an automatic water dump valve and again all the water was dumped to atmosphere thus leaving clean uncontaminated fuel. No change or deterioration of the filters had occurred either.
I set up a demonstration of all the equipment for the Squadron Leader and the 390 MU Commander, Wing Commander Dainty, so that they would be able to concur with our findings in the report for forwarding to the MoD after adding their comments on the findings and conclusions of the test reports.
In the report it was suggested that the British manufactured pump should be withdrawn from service for aircraft refuelling with immediate effect unless modified since in their present state they were totally unsuitable for their intended purpose and their continued use would put aircraft and therefore personnel at great risk.
Several months passed before we received the MoD's conclusions and the decision was to continue using the British product as there were so many in stock that the Ministry could not afford to discard them and buy the better and safer French manufactured items. Where have I heard this same conclusion made by those who do not have to lay their lives on the line or who's lives are not at risk by employing unsuitable and defective equipment. It makes nonsense when politicians say lessons have been learned by these accidents or occurrences after the events. They well may have been but then are disregarded the next time our forces are sent into action.
It was possible to modify our stock items to incorporate a water dump valve using the French company's hand pump as a pattern in any one of our engineering Maintenance Units at home or overseas but I never had knowledge of this happening. I never did find out the final course of action taken as I moved on to another project and detached to Borneo before being finally transferred out of theatre.
NB I have purposely declined to name the company that manufactured the products we tested for obvious reasons although they are indelibly inscribed in my memory and will be so for as long as I live for the danger the British made product threatened to lives. Perhaps these products tested were not intended for aircraft refuelling. If that was the case then it was a procurement blunder or directive fault not that of the manufacturing company. George Reeve
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