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C172 pilot and his passenger made an emergency return to grr when fuel fumes entered the cockpit. Maintenance later found a leak in the fuel selector.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 380729 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199709 |
| Day | Thu |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : grr |
| State Reference | MI |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 2300 msl bound upper : 2300 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : grr tower : grr |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | climbout : intermediate altitude |
| Route In Use | enroute : on vectors |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Make Model Name | Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : atp pilot : cfi |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 40 flight time total : 5250 flight time type : 700 |
| ASRS Report | 380729 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | observation : passenger |
| Qualification | other other : other pilot : atp |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : declared emergency other |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Aircraft |
Narrative:
C172, departure from runway 26R with clearance to climb to 2000 ft on runway heading. After reaching 2000 ft, departure control turned us south and a short time later gave us a clearance to climb to our VFR cruising altitude. As we started to climb there was a strong odor of gasoline. I asked my ATP passenger if he smelled it. He said he did. I said I was returning and started a descending left turn to the airport while trying to call ATC departure. It took several tries while departure was pointing us out as traffic to a commuter climbing over us. Upon reaching ATC we were given an immediate clearance to the airport. Tower (local) cleared us to land on runway 26L despite our request for runway 26R. We said we had a fuel odor. Tower had to demand a citation it cleared for takeoff, get moving. Landing was made with flaps up and was uneventful. We requested a clearance to parking, saying we were going to receive the clearance, then shut off the electrical system. We received the clearance and shut off the master switch. We taxied about 100 ft when the crash fire rescue equipment trucks appeared ahead of us so we shut down. We accepted a tow to parking. The leak was later determined to be in the fuel selector. ATC and crash fire rescue equipment did an outstanding job handling the situation.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: C172 PLT AND HIS PAX MADE AN EMER RETURN TO GRR WHEN FUEL FUMES ENTERED THE COCKPIT. MAINT LATER FOUND A LEAK IN THE FUEL SELECTOR.
Narrative: C172, DEP FROM RWY 26R WITH CLRNC TO CLB TO 2000 FT ON RWY HEADING. AFTER REACHING 2000 FT, DEP CTL TURNED US S AND A SHORT TIME LATER GAVE US A CLRNC TO CLB TO OUR VFR CRUISING ALT. AS WE STARTED TO CLB THERE WAS A STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE. I ASKED MY ATP PAX IF HE SMELLED IT. HE SAID HE DID. I SAID I WAS RETURNING AND STARTED A DSNDING L TURN TO THE ARPT WHILE TRYING TO CALL ATC DEP. IT TOOK SEVERAL TRIES WHILE DEP WAS POINTING US OUT AS TFC TO A COMMUTER CLBING OVER US. UPON REACHING ATC WE WERE GIVEN AN IMMEDIATE CLRNC TO THE ARPT. TWR (LCL) CLRED US TO LAND ON RWY 26L DESPITE OUR REQUEST FOR RWY 26R. WE SAID WE HAD A FUEL ODOR. TWR HAD TO DEMAND A CITATION IT CLRED FOR TKOF, GET MOVING. LNDG WAS MADE WITH FLAPS UP AND WAS UNEVENTFUL. WE REQUESTED A CLRNC TO PARKING, SAYING WE WERE GOING TO RECEIVE THE CLRNC, THEN SHUT OFF THE ELECTRICAL SYS. WE RECEIVED THE CLRNC AND SHUT OFF THE MASTER SWITCH. WE TAXIED ABOUT 100 FT WHEN THE CFR TRUCKS APPEARED AHEAD OF US SO WE SHUT DOWN. WE ACCEPTED A TOW TO PARKING. THE LEAK WAS LATER DETERMINED TO BE IN THE FUEL SELECTOR. ATC AND CFR DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB HANDLING THE SIT.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.