Geico266
Well Known Member
Out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of fellow RV-12 owners and builders, I would like to share information about the fuel tank after a very specific hard landing. There have been several planes experience hard landings, but in this one and only incident (that I am aware of) the fuel tank was breached.
Van's Aircraft has been notified and and they are working on an "official" fix which may or may not include tank modification. They have been very responsive and up front about this issue, but engineering the "official" fix takes time. Let them work on it from their point of view. Whether you decide to wait for the "official" fix or take my "unofficial" fix is up to you. My one and only concern is that you, as an RV-12 driver / owner are aware and fully understand the issue, then you decide on a course of action for your comfort level.
Here is the picture I took of the plane. The plane contacted the runway after take off and hit with a 5 or 6 degree nose down angle. At that angle the nose gear gave way and the main gears rotated aft taking the center section with it. The tank is attached to the center section, and this in turn tore open the tank. This is the only time we (or Vans) know of the tank being breached. This accident caused this specific problem.
Here is the picture....
The pilot was soaked in gas before he could exit the plane. He was unhurt and wants to remain anonymous. The incident was caused by pilot error and he takes full responsibility. He could have kept quiet and no one would have known, but he did the right thing and came forward so we may learn. He contacted me to get the word out so other may be aware and learn from his mistake. For that I want to publicly thank him for his courage to come forward. I will not disclose his name or any other details. Please do not ask.
Okay, that is the issue. Here is the "unofficial" fix.
Replace the two bolts that secure the fuel tank to the center section with a modified "headless" bolt. I took a hack saw and cut the head off a bolt the next size longer and created a slot with the hacksaw. The aft support bolt holds the tank secure, IMHO. I removed the old bolts and installed the new "headless" bolts during my condition inspection, with no fuel in the tank.
Next there is the issue of becoming inverted during an incident and having the tank become " loose" in the baggage area due to the headless bolts. The best fix that I can think of is a strap holding the tank down to the baggage floor independent of the center section.
Van's Aircraft has been notified and and they are working on an "official" fix which may or may not include tank modification. They have been very responsive and up front about this issue, but engineering the "official" fix takes time. Let them work on it from their point of view. Whether you decide to wait for the "official" fix or take my "unofficial" fix is up to you. My one and only concern is that you, as an RV-12 driver / owner are aware and fully understand the issue, then you decide on a course of action for your comfort level.
Here is the picture I took of the plane. The plane contacted the runway after take off and hit with a 5 or 6 degree nose down angle. At that angle the nose gear gave way and the main gears rotated aft taking the center section with it. The tank is attached to the center section, and this in turn tore open the tank. This is the only time we (or Vans) know of the tank being breached. This accident caused this specific problem.
Here is the picture....
The pilot was soaked in gas before he could exit the plane. He was unhurt and wants to remain anonymous. The incident was caused by pilot error and he takes full responsibility. He could have kept quiet and no one would have known, but he did the right thing and came forward so we may learn. He contacted me to get the word out so other may be aware and learn from his mistake. For that I want to publicly thank him for his courage to come forward. I will not disclose his name or any other details. Please do not ask.
Okay, that is the issue. Here is the "unofficial" fix.
Replace the two bolts that secure the fuel tank to the center section with a modified "headless" bolt. I took a hack saw and cut the head off a bolt the next size longer and created a slot with the hacksaw. The aft support bolt holds the tank secure, IMHO. I removed the old bolts and installed the new "headless" bolts during my condition inspection, with no fuel in the tank.
Next there is the issue of becoming inverted during an incident and having the tank become " loose" in the baggage area due to the headless bolts. The best fix that I can think of is a strap holding the tank down to the baggage floor independent of the center section.
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