Fuel Quantity Indicator

1 FAA Aviation Safety SPECIAL AIRWORTHINESS INFORMATION BULLETIN SUBJ: Fuel Quantity Indicator SAIB: SW-17-28 Date: October 10, 2017 This is information only. Recommendations aren’t mandatory.

Introduction

This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) informs registered owners/operators of an airworthiness concern affecting Boeing Airplane Company 75 Series airplanes (under Type Certificate Data Sheet A-743) with a Dusters and Sprayers Supply, Inc. fuel gauge part number (P/N) AG75N1-3116 (under Part Manufacturer Approval (PMA) PQ229SW) installed.

At this time, the airworthiness concern is not an unsafe condition that would warrant airworthiness directive action under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 39.

Background

We received a report of an inoperative Dusters and Sprayers Supply, Inc. fuel gauge, P/N AG75N1- 3116, which was produced under PMA PQ229SW and installed on Boeing 75 series aircraft. Inspection of the fuel gauge tube and indicator showed the gauge was found to have swelled, which caused the indicator to get lodged leading to incorrect fuel level reporting. Further investigation revealed that gauges produced between August 2002 to September 2016 were non-compliant and did not meet type design which may have contributed to this failure. Failure of the fuel gauge indicator may provide the operator with misleading in-flight fuel quantity information.

Recommendations

We recommend that owners and operators of Boeing Airplane Company 75 Series airplanes having a Dusters and Sprayers Supply, Inc. fuel gauge P/N AG75N1-3116 installed which was produced between August 2002 to September 2016 remove the part and replace the fuel gauge with an alternate FAA approved part.

We also request Boeing 75 Series owners and operators provide us with reports of any malfunctions of Dusters and Sprayers Supply, Inc. fuel gauges (e.g. misleading fuel quantity information, lodged indicators, leaking gauges, etc.) that they may have experienced.

A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information displays a current valid OMB Control Number. Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the OMB has approved the information collection contained in this SAIB, and assigned OMB Control Number 2120-0731. Public reporting for this collection of information is estimated to be approximately 5 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, completing and reviewing the collection of information. All responses to this collection of information are voluntary. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to the FAA at: 800 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20591, Attn: Information Collection Clearance Officer, ASP-110.

2 For Further Information Contact

Kristi Bradley, Continued Operational Safety Aerospace Engineer, AIR-7F2, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177; phone: (817) 222-5485; e-mail: [email protected].

Jacob Fitch, Aerospace Engineer, AIR-7F2, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177; phone: (817) 222-4130; e-mail: [email protected].