Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) Contamination Risk | NATA Fuel QC Training and Resources Available

Our industry has seen several incidents in recent months where DEF was accidently injected into jet fuel instead of FSII, causing significant aircraft damage. Although none of these incidents led to an aircraft crash, there is a substantial risk of engine failure in aircraft fueled with DEF contaminated fuel. NATA urges its members that utilize Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) and Fuel System Icing Inhibitor (FSII or Prist) to review their storage, handling and personnel training procedures to prevent dangerous fuel contamination.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) that addresses the dangers of DEF contaminated aviation fuel.

In December of 2017, NATA released a DEF Contamination Prevention training course through its Safety 1^st Supplemental Safety Training program. This course is provided free of charge to anyone in the industry and could help prevent future incidents related to DEF Contamination. Current Safety 1^st users have the ability to assign the DEF Contamination Prevention course to their employees utilizing their Safety 1^st training account. Companies that are not current Safety 1^st users should contact us for complimentary access to the DEF Contamination Prevention course.

Current Safety 1^st Users – click here for directions on assigning courses

Non Safety 1^st Users – click here to contact us at safety1st@nata.aero

Additionally, NATA provides the following resources to assist and educate our members on aviation fuel management:

• 2018 Certified QC Inspector Program – September 18-19 – Charlotte, NC
• 2018 Ground Handling Safety Symposium – September 11-12 – Ashburn, VA
• Fuel QC Management System – A cloud-based digital tool for the management of aviation fuel quality control
• General Aviation Misfueling Prevention Program  – Free awareness training for Pilots, Line Service Professionals, General Managers and Customer Service Representatives.

For questions regarding DEF contamination prevention or any of the resources described in this alert, please contact safety1st@nata.aero.

NATA HOSTS FIFTH ADVANCED LINE SERVICE WORKSHOP OF 2018 | NEXT WORKSHOP OCTOBER 24-25 IN LONG ISLAND, NY

Last week, NATA wrapped up another successful Advanced Line Service Workshop at Austin Executive Airport in Texas. ALS workshops include a unique mix of technical and service training with sessions on motivation and leadership techniques, customer service training, misfueling prevention, Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) training, and the impact of human factors on aviation ground handling. Guest speakers Collin Self of Facet Filters and Keith Clark of Phillips 66 led sessions on aviation fuel filtration, quality control and misfueling prevention. Attendees received hands-on fire extinguisher training during a live fire demonstration conducted by West Chicago Fire Department.

NATA would like to thank Jodie Kaluza and all the staff at Austin Executive Airport for making this event possible. We also appreciate Facet Filters for sponsoring the remaining 2018 ALS Workshops!

There are only 2 more ALS workshops left for this year! Click here for dates and registration information.

NATA Safety 1st Is Seeking Member Photos of Ground Handling Operations

NATA Safety 1^st is currently redeveloping its online training content to incorporate improvements and new features suggested by our members and users. As part of this process, we are seeking new photographs of ground handling activities, such as aircraft fuel and oil servicing, quality control checks, and towing operations. If your company is interested in sharing photos of ground handling operations at your facilities, and possibly having these images featured in the redeveloped NATA Safety 1^st training program, please contact our Trainer/Content Manager Steve Berry at sberry@nata.aero.