CASA Loosing the Plot
 
10 days after the regrounding of aircraft and carrying out intense investigations for the past three weeks CASA still are no closer to finding a definite solution and have not yet decided what to do to get the fuel contaminated affected aircraft back in the air
 
Mr Gibson from CASA is reported on December 23^rd 1999 saying:-
 
"It's clearly a contamination of a chemical nature. You can't see it. The fuel looks normal but what it does is corrodes brass and rubber parts in the fuel system and then that causes deposits in the engine"

Mick Toller - the CASA head hoot - is reported Wednesday the 19^th January saying:-

• "the white substance was a carbonate formed by a reaction of carbon dioxide with the original black contaminant - ethylene di-amine (EDA) but a second white "goo" was unknown"
  

• Now that makes it THREE contaminants - one acidic "black and sticky" - one "white gel" and now a "white goo"
  

In Other News
Meanwhile aircraft owners and operators who are using Shell LL Avgas appear to be non-concerned about all the hype and drama and are only waiting for the authorities to realise they have "painted themselves into a corner" on the Mobil Avgas issue

Quote of the Week -
CASA's Mick Toller on January 19^th '00
"We have not yet got the approval from any aircraft manufacturers for any process that washes tanks with water. Until we do so, no aircraft that carries fare-paying passengers will have a valid allowable decontamination certificate"