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Contaminated fuel at Lower Mainland airports

Lack of avgas could ground hobby fliers, flight schools
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The Pitt Meadows Airport is one of six in B.C. that has received contaminated fuel. (Contributed)

Pitt Meadows Regional Airport is one of six in the Lower Mainland that received a delivery of contaminated fuel.

Airport manager George Miller said the aviation gasoline (avgas) from the Strathcona Refinery near Edmonton is used for general aviation – smaller aircraft.

The contamination will impact flight schools at the airport, as well as hobby fliers.

The airport does have a small supply of quality avgas.

“We’re okay right now, but we don’t have a lot of fuel left,” said Miller.

He expects that the problem will be resolved later today or tomorrow.

Imperial issued a press release that it has notified regulators and customers of potential low fuel quality in the avgas shipped from its Strathcona refinery.

“The primary concern is that the product quality issue may cause interference with on-board fuel gauge sensors of aircraft using avgas,” said the press release.

“All shipments of the avgas from Strathcona refinery were promptly stopped as soon as the company became aware of the issue on Feb. 13, 2018. Imperial has also requested that all distributors cease distribution of the product.”

The fuel warning does not extend to planes that use jet fuel.



Neil Corbett

About the Author: Neil Corbett

I have been a journalist for more than 30 years, the past decade with the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News.
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