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My flight school's Cessna 152 is 30 years old. After refueling, the engine RPM went down and down. I tried putting full throttle in but it just stopped. Was it air in the fuel line or something more serious?

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    $\begingroup$ We really don't have enough information to even make a guess here. "Air in the fuel line" seems unlikely however given my (admittedly limited) knowledge of the Cessna 152's gravity-fed fuel system (absent running the tanks dry or the fuel being shut off). Does the flight school's maintenance team have any ideas? $\endgroup$
    – voretaq7
    Dec 3, 2014 at 22:24
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    $\begingroup$ There is only one correct answer. You must assume that is was something serious and have the mechanics check it out. Only they are qualified to determine the cause. $\endgroup$
    – Simon
    Dec 4, 2014 at 8:52
  • $\begingroup$ Happened just once? Perhaps the fuel was contaminated $\endgroup$
    – orique
    Dec 4, 2014 at 9:15
  • $\begingroup$ Two separate events: engine slowing down and engine stalling. If you are pushing in the throttle too quickly the engine will stall. Depending on exact year, it is likely that your plane's engine does not have an accelerator pump. Result: aggressively moving the throttle in will cause a lean condition and the engine will stall. Dunno about the slowing down part... $\endgroup$
    – Skip Miller
    Dec 4, 2014 at 16:07
  • $\begingroup$ I've had this a couple of times... when I forgot to push the mixture forward. :P $\endgroup$
    – falstro
    Dec 4, 2014 at 19:20

1 Answer 1

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Gradual power loss would not be caused by "air in the fuel lines".

The most likely cause is blocked vents. There are pipes that allow air into the tanks so the fuel will flow out. If they are blocked for any reason, fuel will stop flowing, often in a gradual manner.

Another possibility is that there is corrosion or sediment which is blocking the fuel line. Are you checking drain valves on every preflight and after refueling?

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    $\begingroup$ It seems a bit odd for blocked vents to cause the problem at ground idle, but I suppose it's possible (and seems at least plausible). It's actually an easy theory to check if it happens again: Open a tank cap and listen for a "whoosh" of air rushing into the tank to fill the vacuum. $\endgroup$
    – voretaq7
    Dec 4, 2014 at 2:54

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