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PA12 pilot reported landing at a divert field when engine power dropped several hundred RPM. Pilot reported finding water in the fuel sample.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1400809 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201611 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601-1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Piper Single Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Route In Use | Direct None |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Engine |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Multiengine |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 60 Flight Crew Total 25000 Flight Crew Type 600 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue |
Narrative:
Enroute to [destination] airport. After receiving approval to transition ZZZ1 class D airspace; my engine power dropped from a steady 2400 RPM to around 2000 RPM in cruise flight. I [advised] ZZZ1 tower; the tower helped me find a close airport ZZZ. After landing at ZZZ I observed a small quantity of water in the fuel sample. On my preflight I did take several fuel samples. No water was observed during my preflight. The PA12 piper aircraft has a poor fuel tank design which will not allow all of the water to be drained out of the wing fuel drains.after landing I rocked the wings of the aircraft several times and observed a small amount of water each time the wings were rocked in each fuel sample.to prevent this problem in the future fuel cap rain covers should be used if parked outside in an area that rains often. Also on the preflight to rock the wings and take several fuel samples before flight.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: PA12 pilot reported landing at a divert field when engine power dropped several hundred RPM. Pilot reported finding water in the fuel sample.
Narrative: Enroute to [destination] airport. After receiving approval to transition ZZZ1 class D airspace; my engine power dropped from a steady 2400 RPM to around 2000 RPM in cruise flight. I [advised] ZZZ1 tower; the tower helped me find a close airport ZZZ. After landing at ZZZ I observed a small quantity of water in the fuel sample. On my preflight I did take several fuel samples. No water was observed during my preflight. The PA12 piper aircraft has a poor fuel tank design which will not allow all of the water to be drained out of the wing fuel drains.After landing I rocked the wings of the aircraft several times and observed a small amount of water each time the wings were rocked in each fuel sample.To prevent this problem in the future fuel cap rain covers should be used if parked outside in an area that rains often. Also on the preflight to rock the wings and take several fuel samples before flight.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.