Defueling Procedures Aircraft defuelings are to be performed in the following sequence: 1. Prior to starting the defuel operation, take sam- ples of the fuel to be defueled from the aircraft’s drains and visually inspect them for contamination (qualified squadron personnel under the observation of the driver/operator). 2. Determine the status of the fuel, that is, suspect or nonsuspect (defuel truck operator). The person re- questing the defueling operation will confirm that the fuel is or is not suspect. Fuel is considered suspect if the aircraft has malfunctioned and the fuel is believed to have contributed to the problem or the fuel is thought to be of the wrong type. 3. Determine the amount of fuel to be removed from the aircraft (defuel truck operator). Again, the squadron personnel requesting the defueling operation will provide this estimate as part of the official request. 4. Select the defueling equipment to be used, that is, defueler for suspect product or refueler/defueler for nonsuspect fuel (FMO and station operator). Always check the remaining capacity of the defueler or refu- eler/defueler to make sure there is adequate room to hold the fuel being defueled. In addition, remember that sufficient fuel must be in the defueling tank to maintain a flooded suction above the anti-vortex splash plate. 5. Position the defueler (defuel truck operator). 6. Verify that the aircraft is spotted properly (all personnel). 7. Check for possible sources of ignition (all per- sonnel). 8. Verify that the defueling request chit corre- sponds to the instructions from the dispatcher (defuel truck operator). 9. Connect the bonding wire from the defueler to the aircraft (defuel truck operator). 10. Unload, position, and connect the defuel hose to the aircraft and the defueling stub on the defueler (plane captain). 11. Start defueling upon signal from the nozzle operator (defuel truck operator). 12. Adjust the valve downstream of the pump to optimize the defuel rate. Maximum defuel rate is 100 gpm (defuel truck operator). When nearing completion of the defuel process, very close attention should be paid to the defuel rate to prevent pump cavitation and/or loss of prime. Discontinue defueling of an aircraft if pump cavitation is a persistent problem. 13. Upon completion of the defuel operation, se- cure all equipment and CHECK THE AREA FOR FOD (all personnel). Disposition of Nonsuspect Fuel Removed From Aircraft All USN and USMC aircraft are authorized to use JP-4, JP-8, commercial JET A and JET A-1, as well as JP-5 fuel. Fuel removed from a USN or USMC air- craft will contain mixtures of these fuels, and the specific grade of fuel will be impossible to determine without extensive specification testing. USA and USAF aircraft also may contain such mixtures. There- fore, fuel in any properly operating DOD aircraft with turbine engines that is NOT suspect of being contami- nated can be defueled into a designated refueling vehicle and then used to refuel any aircraft with the user’s knowledge and permission. First preference will be given to using the fuel to load an aircraft in the same squadron as that from which the fuel originated. Second choice will be to issue the fuel to aircraft having engine fuel controls that automatically compensate for fuel density changes. Aircraft with T-56 engines, such as the P-3 and E-2, should be preferentially used since these engines are the most tolerant to such fuel changes. In addition, the following roles apply to reissuing defu- eled fuel: 1. Since fuel removed from any aircraft almost definitely has a flash point below 140°F, it must NOT be used to refuel any aircraft scheduled for immediate sea duty. 2. Any designated defuel or refuelers must pass their fuel through filter/separators and fuel monitors before reaching the aircraft. 3. The FSII content of defueled turbine fuel must be checked using the FSII refractometer prior to refuel- ing S-3 and SH-60 USN aircraft and all U. S. Army and U.S. Air Force and foreign aircraft. Nonsuspect fuel that has been dyed for the detec- tion of aircraft fuel system leaks also can be used in aircraft provided the above procedures are followed. Nonsuspect fuel removed from piston engine aircraft can also be reissued provided 7-26