In November 2017, seven aircraft were serviced with jet fuel containing DEF at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska. A chartered Falcon 900 jet was forced to divert after receiving contaminated fuel. Nine more aircraft received fuel with equipment that had been exposed to DEF. In August 2018, five aircraft were found to have been serviced with jet fuel containing DEF in Opa Locka, Florida. The incidents reiterate the urgency of developing procedures to prevent DEF-a clear, colorless fluid-from being mistakenly added to aircraft fuel in place of approved icing inhibitor products.

“Air Trek’s focus on comprehensive rigorous training, both in aircraft and simulators, contributed to a positive outcome,” said Wayne A. Air Trek’s pilots are heroes of the day,' the company said in a statement provided to AOPA.

The other Citation departed for Chicago, experienced an engine failure, and landed safely in Louisville, Kentucky, according to the FAA, which confirmed May 23 that it had previously provided organizations including AOPA with incorrect information about the flight routes of the two aircraft.Īir Trek is 'extremely proud of the extraordinary professionalism of our pilots and medical team. It then lost its second engine but landed safely in Savannah. One aircraft departed for Niagara Falls, New York, but experienced an engine flameout north of Savannah, Georgia. The two jets, both owned by Punta Gorda, Florida-based charter operator Air Trek, flew as air ambulances to Naples to pick up passengers. AOPA strongly urges aircraft operators to become knowledgeable about the DEF fuel-contamination risk, and to promptly report any suspected contamination to their FAA flight standards inspector or local FAA office. DEF is a urea-based chemical that is used to reduce diesel-engine emissions under a federal environmental mandate.ĭEF is not intended for use in aircraft, and when added to jet fuel, can trigger reactions including the formation of crystals that can plug fuel filters and damage other engine components. According to the FAA, the two Cessna Citation 550 twinjets received fuel at Punta Gorda Airport that had been contaminated with diesel exhaust fluid, or DEF, which was added erroneously to the fuel supply carried by a fuel truck.

Diesel exhaust fluid app