FAA Maintenance Safety Alerts

Cessna: 340A; Leaking Fuel Lines; ATA 2820
Repair station technician states, “During aircraft maintenance a strong fuel odor was observed in the cabin of the aircraft. This aircraft [has been] idle on the ramp for at least 10 months. The exterior of the aircraft was inspected for obvious fuel leaks—none were detected. By this time the fuel smell in the cabin had cleared up...[we decided to start the engines]. During part of this operation the mechanic ran the engines in the fuel cross-feed position—again the strong fuel odor was noticed. The aircraft was returned to the hanger and the floor panels were taken up in the area of the cross-feed lines (where they pass through the cabin area). It was observed a heater duct was running perpendicular to the cross-feed lines and was in contact with [these] lines, causing corrosion to form. [This action] resulted in pinholes [developing] in both lines.” Fuel line P/Ns included are: 5300108-53 and -54. A search of the FAA Service Difficulty Reporting System (SDRS) database reflects four similar entries. Part Total Time: 5,275.4 hours. More