PA 38 -water

[pipertommy]

I have noticed water leaking from the bottom of a pa38 centre between the wings/under cockpit seating area.This is due to large down pours recently entering around the door seals!!!But my question is does this pose any safety issue`s? After all its just draining off?

[HON]

This is not an un-usual occurrance. There can be some safty issues here, firstly not all water will drain out and the weight of water collecting in the fuselarge over a period of time will make a difference to the aircraft weight. Also if the aircraft freezes i.e. overnight so obviously will the water in the fuselarge and this can also create problems. You can also get the problem of the water moving in flight (although there would have to be a large amount for this to have a big impact in flight. Hence it can be a problem (although over the life of the aeroplane moisture will collect in the fuselarge naturally anyway)

[IO540]

From my early PPL experience, a PA38 is notorious for taking huge quantities of water into the fuel tanks, due to worn out filler cap seals. Anything up to a litre during a rainy night. That's really dangerous because the first few jars you drain are clean - they are 100% water!

They also take a lot of water into the cockpit, due to knackered seals along the top. I sometimes found 1/2" of water on the floor. This can make it smell like a public lavatory

[pipertommy]

Great!thanks for the replies!no major problem then with smallish amounts getting in and draining off over cycles of crap weather. As always will keep a check on fuel samples,not nice.thanks again