Narrative:

Approximately 1 hour prior to departure, my first officer and myself were looking at WX and planning our return trip to ZZZ1. We decided that we would need to take on 10 gals of fuel a side, in the inboard tanks. I ordered the fuel and the desk personnel asked what type of aircraft it was. I told her 'a piper navajo, PA31-350.' she asked me something to the effect of, 'is that a king air,' and I said, 'no it takes 100LL AVGAS.' she said 'ok.' while I was still standing there, I heard the desk personnel radio to the fueler for the fuel order, she said, 'aircraft X needs 10 gals of 100LL a side in the inboard tanks.' the fueler that took the call repeated back, '100LL 10 gals a side in the inboards for aircraft X, ok.' after ordering the fuel I went back to the WX room and filed a flight plan. When I came out of the WX planning room, I was surprised to hear that the plane was already refueled and my bill was ready. I looked at the slip and it read 20 gals of average followed by the price. I signed the receipt. At this point, my first officer came out and I asked her to come help preflight the plane for departure. I sumped all the quick drains and all samples were light blue and smelled of AVGAS. We both continued on the preflight. I finished the outside preflight and my first officer completed the inside. After passenger briefing was completed, we began running checklists. We started the engines, everything started normally. We asked for our clearance and taxied out to runway 9 at swf. We completed our engine run-up checklist, and again everything seemed normal. We waited at the hold short line for about 5 mins for a jet on the ILS for runway 9. We then received clearance for takeoff. We rolled onto the runway and proceeded with the takeoff, all indications and gauges were normal. About 500 ft AGL, I noticed a variation in the left propeller RPM. I quickly leveled off and put the gear down and landed on runway 9. After the plane was on the ground, I asked my first officer if she heard and saw what I saw, she did not. We received clearance to taxi back to runway 9. I ran a couple of feather checks at 1500 RPM on the taxi back, because I suspected a governor problem. Again, all checks were normal. We again completed a full high end run-up, everything again was normal. We again received clearance for takeoff and again a full throttle, everything was indicating normal. We took off and at about 100 ft AGL, I heard the left engine pulsate and saw the same RPM difference. At this point, I was out of runway and had to circle close in to keep the field in sight and maneuver for another landing on runway 9. When we were on downwind to base for runway 9, my first officer, while completing the before landing checklist, noted to me that the temperatures in the left engine were getting very hot. At this point, I was in position to bring back the throttles and that in turn lowered the temperatures. We landed without any further problems and taxied back to FBO for maintenance to look at it. After we were on the ground, I jumped out and was able to talk to a mechanic on the phone. He stated that he thought it was probably a governor problem and he wouldn't be available until XA00 the next morning. At this point, I told my first officer to have the passenger come inside and we made arrangements for all of us to stay at a local hotel. At the hotel, we were all trying to save our cell phone batteries for the next day, so I had mine turned off. When I awoke in the morning, I turned my cell phone on and noticed a message from the general manager of the FBO. He said to give him a call that night or he would see me in the morning. When I arrived at the airport in the morning, I noticed a note taped to the door of our aircraft. I walked out to see what it said, and read 'pilots do not fly this aircraft.' while standing at the aircraft, I saw the mechanic. They were going to put it into the hangar and take a look at it. My first officer and myself went down to supervise the inspection. The first thing he checked was the plugs, for fouling and then the odd thing was, he checked the continuity on the wires leading to the propeller heat. I'm no mechanic, but I know that the propeller heat doesn't change the RPM of the engine, but I let him go. I remember making a commentto my first officer that something is not quite right with this situation. The mechanic continued to check, looking at the turbocharger for oil and any other problem that would cause a propeller problem or an overheat. After all that he says to me, the only other thing that could cause a heat problem would be a fuel problem. He said he was going to test the fuel and at the same time, the general manager distraction me a little bit with options for the passenger. When I returned, he asked me what my receipt said and I showed him that my receipt said 20 gals average. We then looked at their receipt and it said, jet a. So that's when we confirmed what happened. After talking with the general manager leads me to believe that the company did know what had happened the night of the incident. In my opinion, the morning maintenance procedure was just a show.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA31-350 CREW REQUESTED 20 GALS OF AVIATION GASOLINE '100LL' BE ADDED TO THE ACFT BEFORE DEP. THE FBO FUELER ADDED 20 GALS OF JET FUEL INSTEAD.

Narrative: APPROX 1 HR PRIOR TO DEP, MY FO AND MYSELF WERE LOOKING AT WX AND PLANNING OUR RETURN TRIP TO ZZZ1. WE DECIDED THAT WE WOULD NEED TO TAKE ON 10 GALS OF FUEL A SIDE, IN THE INBOARD TANKS. I ORDERED THE FUEL AND THE DESK PERSONNEL ASKED WHAT TYPE OF ACFT IT WAS. I TOLD HER 'A PIPER NAVAJO, PA31-350.' SHE ASKED ME SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF, 'IS THAT A KING AIR,' AND I SAID, 'NO IT TAKES 100LL AVGAS.' SHE SAID 'OK.' WHILE I WAS STILL STANDING THERE, I HEARD THE DESK PERSONNEL RADIO TO THE FUELER FOR THE FUEL ORDER, SHE SAID, 'ACFT X NEEDS 10 GALS OF 100LL A SIDE IN THE INBOARD TANKS.' THE FUELER THAT TOOK THE CALL REPEATED BACK, '100LL 10 GALS A SIDE IN THE INBOARDS FOR ACFT X, OK.' AFTER ORDERING THE FUEL I WENT BACK TO THE WX ROOM AND FILED A FLT PLAN. WHEN I CAME OUT OF THE WX PLANNING ROOM, I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT THE PLANE WAS ALREADY REFUELED AND MY BILL WAS READY. I LOOKED AT THE SLIP AND IT READ 20 GALS OF AVG FOLLOWED BY THE PRICE. I SIGNED THE RECEIPT. AT THIS POINT, MY FO CAME OUT AND I ASKED HER TO COME HELP PREFLT THE PLANE FOR DEP. I SUMPED ALL THE QUICK DRAINS AND ALL SAMPLES WERE LIGHT BLUE AND SMELLED OF AVGAS. WE BOTH CONTINUED ON THE PREFLT. I FINISHED THE OUTSIDE PREFLT AND MY FO COMPLETED THE INSIDE. AFTER PAX BRIEFING WAS COMPLETED, WE BEGAN RUNNING CHKLISTS. WE STARTED THE ENGS, EVERYTHING STARTED NORMALLY. WE ASKED FOR OUR CLRNC AND TAXIED OUT TO RWY 9 AT SWF. WE COMPLETED OUR ENG RUN-UP CHKLIST, AND AGAIN EVERYTHING SEEMED NORMAL. WE WAITED AT THE HOLD SHORT LINE FOR ABOUT 5 MINS FOR A JET ON THE ILS FOR RWY 9. WE THEN RECEIVED CLRNC FOR TKOF. WE ROLLED ONTO THE RWY AND PROCEEDED WITH THE TKOF, ALL INDICATIONS AND GAUGES WERE NORMAL. ABOUT 500 FT AGL, I NOTICED A VARIATION IN THE L PROP RPM. I QUICKLY LEVELED OFF AND PUT THE GEAR DOWN AND LANDED ON RWY 9. AFTER THE PLANE WAS ON THE GND, I ASKED MY FO IF SHE HEARD AND SAW WHAT I SAW, SHE DID NOT. WE RECEIVED CLRNC TO TAXI BACK TO RWY 9. I RAN A COUPLE OF FEATHER CHKS AT 1500 RPM ON THE TAXI BACK, BECAUSE I SUSPECTED A GOVERNOR PROB. AGAIN, ALL CHKS WERE NORMAL. WE AGAIN COMPLETED A FULL HIGH END RUN-UP, EVERYTHING AGAIN WAS NORMAL. WE AGAIN RECEIVED CLRNC FOR TKOF AND AGAIN A FULL THROTTLE, EVERYTHING WAS INDICATING NORMAL. WE TOOK OFF AND AT ABOUT 100 FT AGL, I HEARD THE L ENG PULSATE AND SAW THE SAME RPM DIFFERENCE. AT THIS POINT, I WAS OUT OF RWY AND HAD TO CIRCLE CLOSE IN TO KEEP THE FIELD IN SIGHT AND MANEUVER FOR ANOTHER LNDG ON RWY 9. WHEN WE WERE ON DOWNWIND TO BASE FOR RWY 9, MY FO, WHILE COMPLETING THE BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST, NOTED TO ME THAT THE TEMPS IN THE L ENG WERE GETTING VERY HOT. AT THIS POINT, I WAS IN POS TO BRING BACK THE THROTTLES AND THAT IN TURN LOWERED THE TEMPS. WE LANDED WITHOUT ANY FURTHER PROBS AND TAXIED BACK TO FBO FOR MAINT TO LOOK AT IT. AFTER WE WERE ON THE GND, I JUMPED OUT AND WAS ABLE TO TALK TO A MECH ON THE PHONE. HE STATED THAT HE THOUGHT IT WAS PROBABLY A GOVERNOR PROB AND HE WOULDN'T BE AVAILABLE UNTIL XA00 THE NEXT MORNING. AT THIS POINT, I TOLD MY FO TO HAVE THE PAX COME INSIDE AND WE MADE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ALL OF US TO STAY AT A LCL HOTEL. AT THE HOTEL, WE WERE ALL TRYING TO SAVE OUR CELL PHONE BATTERIES FOR THE NEXT DAY, SO I HAD MINE TURNED OFF. WHEN I AWOKE IN THE MORNING, I TURNED MY CELL PHONE ON AND NOTICED A MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL MGR OF THE FBO. HE SAID TO GIVE HIM A CALL THAT NIGHT OR HE WOULD SEE ME IN THE MORNING. WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE ARPT IN THE MORNING, I NOTICED A NOTE TAPED TO THE DOOR OF OUR ACFT. I WALKED OUT TO SEE WHAT IT SAID, AND READ 'PLTS DO NOT FLY THIS ACFT.' WHILE STANDING AT THE ACFT, I SAW THE MECH. THEY WERE GOING TO PUT IT INTO THE HANGAR AND TAKE A LOOK AT IT. MY FO AND MYSELF WENT DOWN TO SUPERVISE THE INSPECTION. THE FIRST THING HE CHKED WAS THE PLUGS, FOR FOULING AND THEN THE ODD THING WAS, HE CHKED THE CONTINUITY ON THE WIRES LEADING TO THE PROP HEAT. I'M NO MECH, BUT I KNOW THAT THE PROP HEAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE RPM OF THE ENG, BUT I LET HIM GO. I REMEMBER MAKING A COMMENTTO MY FO THAT SOMETHING IS NOT QUITE RIGHT WITH THIS SIT. THE MECH CONTINUED TO CHK, LOOKING AT THE TURBOCHARGER FOR OIL AND ANY OTHER PROB THAT WOULD CAUSE A PROP PROB OR AN OVERHEAT. AFTER ALL THAT HE SAYS TO ME, THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT COULD CAUSE A HEAT PROB WOULD BE A FUEL PROB. HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO TEST THE FUEL AND AT THE SAME TIME, THE GENERAL MGR DISTR ME A LITTLE BIT WITH OPTIONS FOR THE PAX. WHEN I RETURNED, HE ASKED ME WHAT MY RECEIPT SAID AND I SHOWED HIM THAT MY RECEIPT SAID 20 GALS AVG. WE THEN LOOKED AT THEIR RECEIPT AND IT SAID, JET A. SO THAT'S WHEN WE CONFIRMED WHAT HAPPENED. AFTER TALKING WITH THE GENERAL MGR LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE COMPANY DID KNOW WHAT HAD HAPPENED THE NIGHT OF THE INCIDENT. IN MY OPINION, THE MORNING MAINT PROC WAS JUST A SHOW.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.