Narrative:

We landed at ZZZ for lunch. The aircraft was mistakenly fueled with 38 gallons of jet a instead of octane AVGAS. The mistake was not detected on the ground. In flight; the engines started running rough and the aircraft made an unremarkable return to ZZZ. The airport manager confirmed that jet a had been mistakenly put in the aircraft. Fortunately; there was no accident. Beyond the usual lessons to be learned from this situation; there is an unsafe situation in the refueling process that needs to be addressed. The aircraft had restrictors that are supposed to prevent mis-fueling. Unfortunately; many jet a fuel trucks have a small round nozzle that is required to service certain helicopters. This small nozzle will fit through the restrictors. I regularly fly out of the ZZZ1 jet center. They have such a truck. We checked out the situation and found out that their round nozzle will easily fit through the refueling port of a cessna 310 and baron; even though both of those aircraft had restrictors. I believe the FAA issued an ad requiring these restrictors on the receiving end of the refueling process. Now; something needs to be done on the supply end to prevent all jet a nozzles from fitting through these restrictors. A search of the data shows several such incidents. All of these resulted in accidents. I was simply luckier.callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that the fuel truck driver appeared to be new to the operation and that the FBO had called him out to replace the normal fueler. The reporter felt that he did not know the fueling procedures very well and that may have been a factor in the incident. The reporter stated that the fuel nozzle was the 'round' type vice the 'J' type found on most jet a fuel trucks. He discovered this after landing and investigating the situation. He stated that the round nozzle was larger than the nozzles found on '100LL AVGAS' trucks and felt the fueler had the nozzle above the restrictor and drizzled the fuel in past the restrictor. He said that this was his perception as to what happened. He still felt that something should be done to prevent such an incident because his search of the internet after the incident indicated that several incidents have occurred regarding improper fuel being loaded into aircraft. When asked if he noticed the fuel truck with the letters 'jet a' on the side; he indicated that he had not noticed this as he was not observing the fueling taking place.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BEECH BARON BE-55 PLT HAS ENG MALFUNCTION DURING CLB DUE TO INCORRECT FUEL AND RETURNS FOR LNDG.

Narrative: WE LANDED AT ZZZ FOR LUNCH. THE ACFT WAS MISTAKENLY FUELED WITH 38 GALLONS OF JET A INSTEAD OF OCTANE AVGAS. THE MISTAKE WAS NOT DETECTED ON THE GND. IN FLT; THE ENGS STARTED RUNNING ROUGH AND THE ACFT MADE AN UNREMARKABLE RETURN TO ZZZ. THE ARPT MANAGER CONFIRMED THAT JET A HAD BEEN MISTAKENLY PUT IN THE ACFT. FORTUNATELY; THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT. BEYOND THE USUAL LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM THIS SITUATION; THERE IS AN UNSAFE SITUATION IN THE REFUELING PROCESS THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. THE ACFT HAD RESTRICTORS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO PREVENT MIS-FUELING. UNFORTUNATELY; MANY JET A FUEL TRUCKS HAVE A SMALL ROUND NOZZLE THAT IS REQUIRED TO SVC CERTAIN HELIS. THIS SMALL NOZZLE WILL FIT THROUGH THE RESTRICTORS. I REGULARLY FLY OUT OF THE ZZZ1 JET CTR. THEY HAVE SUCH A TRUCK. WE CHKED OUT THE SITUATION AND FOUND OUT THAT THEIR ROUND NOZZLE WILL EASILY FIT THROUGH THE REFUELING PORT OF A CESSNA 310 AND BARON; EVEN THOUGH BOTH OF THOSE ACFT HAD RESTRICTORS. I BELIEVE THE FAA ISSUED AN AD REQUIRING THESE RESTRICTORS ON THE RECEIVING END OF THE REFUELING PROCESS. NOW; SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ON THE SUPPLY END TO PREVENT ALL JET A NOZZLES FROM FITTING THROUGH THESE RESTRICTORS. A SEARCH OF THE DATA SHOWS SEVERAL SUCH INCIDENTS. ALL OF THESE RESULTED IN ACCIDENTS. I WAS SIMPLY LUCKIER.CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE FUEL TRUCK DRIVER APPEARED TO BE NEW TO THE OPERATION AND THAT THE FBO HAD CALLED HIM OUT TO REPLACE THE NORMAL FUELER. THE RPTR FELT THAT HE DID NOT KNOW THE FUELING PROCS VERY WELL AND THAT MAY HAVE BEEN A FACTOR IN THE INCIDENT. THE RPTR STATED THAT THE FUEL NOZZLE WAS THE 'ROUND' TYPE VICE THE 'J' TYPE FOUND ON MOST JET A FUEL TRUCKS. HE DISCOVERED THIS AFTER LANDING AND INVESTIGATING THE SITUATION. HE STATED THAT THE ROUND NOZZLE WAS LARGER THAN THE NOZZLES FOUND ON '100LL AVGAS' TRUCKS AND FELT THE FUELER HAD THE NOZZLE ABOVE THE RESTRICTOR AND DRIZZLED THE FUEL IN PAST THE RESTRICTOR. HE SAID THAT THIS WAS HIS PERCEPTION AS TO WHAT HAPPENED. HE STILL FELT THAT SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE TO PREVENT SUCH AN INCIDENT BECAUSE HIS SEARCH OF THE INTERNET AFTER THE INCIDENT INDICATED THAT SEVERAL INCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED REGARDING IMPROPER FUEL BEING LOADED INTO ACFT. WHEN ASKED IF HE NOTICED THE FUEL TRUCK WITH THE LETTERS 'JET A' ON THE SIDE; HE INDICATED THAT HE HAD NOT NOTICED THIS AS HE WAS NOT OBSERVING THE FUELING TAKING PLACE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.