ChrisNH From United States, joined Jun 1999, 2670 posts, RR: 1 Posted (1 month 2 weeks 3 days 16 hours ago) and read 11929 times:
The Portland Press Herald (Maine) has a story of a guy who siphoned 25 gallons or so of jet fuel
from an Airbus A320 at PWM to use as home heating oil. The theft was discovered, the plane was delayed, and the guy is now jobless. A sympathetic person might suggest that this guy was somehow 'desperate.' But how 'desperate' do you think he is now, jobless? Not only does he have no job in an increasingly tough economic climate, but his next job is going to be tough to get because he'll have to 'explain' the circumstances of his departure from this last job.
1) Maybe that is what he actually did...but unless you don't know it's there
2) Using the sump drain can make a BIG mess if you don't know what you're doing.... plus you get soaked in fuel...plus if you can't get the drain closed the fuel keeps pouring out....soaking you even more
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog"
Crownvic From United States, joined Oct 2004, 892 posts, RR: 4 Reply 7, posted (1 month 2 weeks 3 days 12 hours ago) and read 11045 times:
I wonder how the theft was discovered...Unless someone saw him do it, would 25 gallons be noticeable to the flight crew the next morning preparing the flight??? Are the computers that sensitive to detect 150lbs missing???
PWM2TXLHopper From United States, joined Jan 2004, 689 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (1 month 2 weeks 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 10274 times:
I double posted this topic, not realizing somebody beat me to it! Didn't think this local story would make it onto A.net. Anyway, from what I've heard, the guy didn't steal 25 gallons all at one time. Supposedly, it was done over a period of weeks during this past winter. I use to work as a ramper at PWM, and we had a guy that would drive his personal car onto the apron at night and refuel from the ground equipment's gasoline pump! He'd then go falsify the fuel logs, and as far as I know he never got got!
Also, the aircraft was more than likely an E-190. B6 doesn't operate A320's into Portland during the winter unless it's a sub.
Quoting EMBQA (Reply 3): Yes and No. Jet fuel would burn in his home furnace... but it would burn too hot and damage his furnaces injectors.
Are you sure about that? Jet-A is just refined Kerosene with subtle property differences, such as that it freezes or gels as a lower temperature than normal K-1. Chemically, it's basically the same stuff. Just a low grade petroleum product,not a lot different from heating oil diesel. Just a different color dye added to it for tax purposes.
We use to fuel our diesel ramp equipment with Jet-A up at PWM.
Quoting Crownvic (Reply 7): I wonder how the theft was discovered...Unless someone saw him do it, would 25 gallons be noticeable to the flight crew the next morning preparing the flight??? Are the computers that sensitive to detect 150lbs missing???
Other airport workers witnessed him doing it and reported it to Jet Blue They filed a police report for theft which is currently being investigated. The guy hasn't been charged or indicted yet. In Maine, he'll most likely go to District Court, plead guilty and repay restitution for the $160 of fuel he stole and get a $300 fine. Or, If he has no criminal record, the District Attorney could likely file the charges for 9 months, and as long as he repays Jet Blue and gets in no further trouble, than the charges will ultimately be dismissed leaving him with no criminal record. That's how the court system handles things up here. At least non-violent offenses.
Jetblueguy22 From United States, joined Nov 2007, 579 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (1 month 2 weeks 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 10198 times:
Quoting PWM2TXLHopper (Reply 10): Anyway, from what I've heard, the guy didn't steal 25 gallons all at one time. Supposedly, it was done over a period of weeks during this past winter.
Oh ok. But still he must have been desperate.
Blue
AeroMojo From United States, joined Feb 2008, 79 posts, RR: 1 Reply 13, posted (1 month 2 weeks 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 10079 times:
Quoting Crownvic (Reply 7): I wonder how the theft was discovered...
More than likely security cams caught him.
However, someone could very easily see him do it and report it. I mean its an airport! People and cameras are EVERYWHERE!
In any case, this guy was a desperate fool. But, anyone with any character or integrity would simply get another job to attain what you truly NEED.
well...atleast I'm not trapped in some office building behind a computer under flouresent lights all day!!
RobK From United Kingdom, joined Sep 2004, 3019 posts, RR: 7 Reply 16, posted (1 month 2 weeks 3 days 7 hours ago) and read 9184 times:
Quoting PWM2TXLHopper (Reply 10): Anyway, from what I've heard, the guy didn't steal 25 gallons all at one time. Supposedly, it was done over a period of weeks during this past winter.
Yeah, was just gonna question that. 25 gallons is a lot in both volume and weight. A 5 gallon drum when full is pretty heavy and you ain't gonna be moving anywhere fast with it unless you've got wheels. I speak from personal experience after siphoning the tanks of a truck whose owner went bankrupt leaving us without wages.
If the guy has guy something like a kerosene space heater then the fuel will burn just fine (obviously) and will have saved him a large slab of cash from not having to buy it.
SFOnative From United States, joined Jan 2008, 73 posts, RR: 0 Reply 21, posted (1 month 2 weeks 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 8121 times:
Quoting RobK (Reply 18): Quoting SFOnative (Reply 17):
Why would someone need home heating oil in the middle of May?
Er, hello?
Quote:
it was done over a period of weeks during this past winter.
RobK, would you care to site your source? You seemed to have left that part out of your reply for some reason.
the article cleary states that two known incidents were on April 28th and this past Monday May 12th; hence my question why someone would be in need of home heating oil.......
Some really sloppy posting going on in this forum people.
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