O2 filling

A bit O.T. :
I read an accident report a few years back - an FBO in Europe re-filled an
O2 bottle with compressed air. In the ensuing high-altitude flight, the
pilot lost conciousness and the airplane crashed in the mountains. A
passenger, miraculously, survived and confirmed the cause of the crash due
to the pilot's unconciousness.

What I've wondered ever since I read it :
What would the FBO be doing with compressed air in the first place, and how
could this confusion occur? What *could* they have been thinking?

Airbus wrote:
A bit O.T. :
I read an accident report a few years back - an FBO in Europe re-filled an
O2 bottle with compressed air. In the ensuing high-altitude flight, the
pilot lost conciousness and the airplane crashed in the mountains. A
passenger, miraculously, survived and confirmed the cause of the crash due
to the pilot's unconciousness.

What I've wondered ever since I read it :
What would the FBO be doing with compressed air in the first place, and how
could this confusion occur? What *could* they have been thinking?


This would be complete negligence had this happened in the US - with the
standards in place.

The fittings in the US are spec'd by the Compressed Gas Association
(CGA) for different gasses and gas mixes. Oxygen gets a different
fitting than Compressed Breathing Air, which gets different fittings
than Argon, Nitrogen, CO2.. etc.

The only way this could have happened is if 1) the oxygen tanks were
mis-filled with air at the vendor (an adapter would have been needed) or
2) someone adapted an air bottle to an oxygen fitting.

When the threads or the nipple dont line up properly, its a big red flag.

In article , says...


Airbus wrote:
A bit O.T. :
I read an accident report a few years back - an FBO in Europe re-filled an
O2 bottle with compressed air. In the ensuing high-altitude flight, the
pilot lost conciousness and the airplane crashed in the mountains. A
passenger, miraculously, survived and confirmed the cause of the crash due
to the pilot's unconciousness.

What I've wondered ever since I read it :
What would the FBO be doing with compressed air in the first place, and how
could this confusion occur? What *could* they have been thinking?


This would be complete negligence had this happened in the US - with the
standards in place.

In any country . . .


The fittings in the US are spec'd by the Compressed Gas Association
(CGA) for different gasses and gas mixes. Oxygen gets a different
fitting than Compressed Breathing Air, which gets different fittings
than Argon, Nitrogen, CO2.. etc.

The only way this could have happened is if 1) the oxygen tanks were
mis-filled with air at the vendor (an adapter would have been needed) or
2) someone adapted an air bottle to an oxygen fitting.

When the threads or the nipple dont line up properly, its a big red flag.

On Nov 15, 7:05 pm, Airbus wrote:
A bit O.T. :
I read an accident report a few years back - an FBO in Europe re-filled an
O2 bottle with compressed air. In the ensuing high-altitude flight, the
pilot lost conciousness and the airplane crashed in the mountains. A
passenger, miraculously, survived and confirmed the cause of the crash due
to the pilot's unconciousness.

What I've wondered ever since I read it :
What would the FBO be doing with compressed air in the first place, and how
could this confusion occur? What *could* they have been thinking?

They use compressed air to drive all their tools in the shop.

-Robert

In article ,
says...


On Nov 15, 7:05 pm, Airbus wrote:
A bit O.T. :
I read an accident report a few years back - an FBO in Europe re-filled an
O2 bottle with compressed air. In the ensuing high-altitude flight, the
pilot lost conciousness and the airplane crashed in the mountains. A
passenger, miraculously, survived and confirmed the cause of the crash due
to the pilot's unconciousness.

What I've wondered ever since I read it :
What would the FBO be doing with compressed air in the first place, and how
could this confusion occur? What *could* they have been thinking?

They use compressed air to drive all their tools in the shop.



Sure - but to get air from their shop compressor into an O2 bottle would
require some real ingenuity. Anyone smart enough to do that would be smart
enough not to do it, I should think!

I'm wondering - maybe the FBO didn't have O2 facilities, and some gopher went
out to a local diving supplies shop, and together they managed to jury-rig the
fittings . . .

Airbus wrote:
In article ,
says...

On Nov 15, 7:05 pm, Airbus wrote:
A bit O.T. :
I read an accident report a few years back - an FBO in Europe re-filled an
O2 bottle with compressed air. In the ensuing high-altitude flight, the
pilot lost conciousness and the airplane crashed in the mountains. A
passenger, miraculously, survived and confirmed the cause of the crash due
to the pilot's unconciousness.

What I've wondered ever since I read it :
What would the FBO be doing with compressed air in the first place, and how
could this confusion occur? What *could* they have been thinking?
They use compressed air to drive all their tools in the shop.



Sure - but to get air from their shop compressor into an O2 bottle would
require some real ingenuity. Anyone smart enough to do that would be smart
enough not to do it, I should think!

I'm wondering - maybe the FBO didn't have O2 facilities, and some gopher went
out to a local diving supplies shop, and together they managed to jury-rig the
fittings . . .

Not to mention getting the 125 psi
shop air up to about 2500 psi to fill
the bottle...

It is puzzling. In the US, about the
only thing bottled air is used for is
firefighters' air bottles, scuba diving
bottles and breathing air for working
in hazardous atmospheres. I'd suspect
one of these three sources.

On Nov 16, 9:56 am, Airbus wrote:
In article ,
says...







On Nov 15, 7:05 pm, Airbus wrote:
A bit O.T. :
I read an accident report a few years back - an FBO in Europe re-filled an
O2 bottle with compressed air. In the ensuing high-altitude flight, the
pilot lost conciousness and the airplane crashed in the mountains. A
passenger, miraculously, survived and confirmed the cause of the crash due
to the pilot's unconciousness.

What I've wondered ever since I read it :
What would the FBO be doing with compressed air in the first place, and how
could this confusion occur? What *could* they have been thinking?

They use compressed air to drive all their tools in the shop.

Sure - but to get air from their shop compressor into an O2 bottle would
require some real ingenuity. Anyone smart enough to do that would be smart
enough not to do it, I should think!

I'm wondering - maybe the FBO didn't have O2 facilities, and some gopher went
out to a local diving supplies shop, and together they managed to jury-rig the
fittings . . .- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The fittings for "Transfilling" from a larger tank are readily
available. Just do a search for "Oxygen Cylinder Fill Adapter". Here
is an example:http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?
ViewItem&item=160164819619&ssPageName=MERC_VI_RCRX _Pr4_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT&refitem=160180462292&itemco unt=4&refwidgetloc=active_view_item&usedrule1=Cros sSell_LogicX&refwidgettype=cross_promot_widget

Sorry for the long link.

David Johnson

Dave wrote:
On Nov 16, 9:56 am, Airbus wrote:
nking?
They use compressed air to drive all their tools in the shop.
Sure - but to get air from their shop compressor into an O2 bottle would
require some real ingenuity. Anyone smart enough to do that would be smart
enough not to do it, I should think!

I'm wondering - maybe the FBO didn't have O2 facilities, and some gopher went
out to a local diving supplies shop, and together they managed to jury-rig the
fittings . . .- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The fittings for "Transfilling" from a larger tank are readily
available.

Even the larger tanks are thread indexed. You have to work hard
to screw it up. The problem is that dive shops have rigs that mix
gases. They also have devices (and most divers diving mixes have
them as well) to analyze what's in the resultant tank before using it.

On Nov 15, 10:05 pm, Airbus wrote:
A bit O.T. :
I read an accident report a few years back - an FBO in Europe re-filled an
O2 bottle with compressed air. In the ensuing high-altitude flight, the
pilot lost conciousness and the airplane crashed in the mountains. A
passenger, miraculously, survived and confirmed the cause of the crash due
to the pilot's unconciousness.

What I've wondered ever since I read it :
What would the FBO be doing with compressed air in the first place, and how
could this confusion occur? What *could* they have been thinking?

I think you mean this one: NTSB IAD97FA060
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?e...08X07722&key=1 . It
was a T337 and happened in the US.

Gerd

In article ,
says...


On Nov 15, 10:05 pm, Airbus wrote:
A bit O.T. :
I read an accident report a few years back - an FBO in Europe re-filled an
O2 bottle with compressed air. In the ensuing high-altitude flight, the
pilot lost conciousness and the airplane crashed in the mountains. A
passenger, miraculously, survived and confirmed the cause of the crash due
to the pilot's unconciousness.

What I've wondered ever since I read it :
What would the FBO be doing with compressed air in the first place, and how
could this confusion occur? What *could* they have been thinking?

I think you mean this one: NTSB IAD97FA060
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?e...08X07722&key=1 . It
was a T337 and happened in the US.

Gerd


That is it - thanks.
Don't know why I had it situated in Europe. Was I just "hoping" it couldn't
happen in the US?

Anyone go to jail for this?