Fuel thefts frustrate Moses Lake pilots

MOSES LAKE - While fuel thefts over the past year at the Moses Lake Municipal Airport have affected flying companies financially, it's safety for flyers that now has Moses Lake pilots concerned.

Daryl Jackson, of Jackson's Flight Service, said that nearly all planes at the airport have been drained of fuel at least once since the thefts began about a year ago. And while there is no concrete number of how much gas has been taken overall, Jackson said that in one theft alone, he recalls nearly 100 gallons of fuel being taken.

"With the current price at about $6.80 a gallon, it isn't cheap stuff," said Jackson.

But according to Jackson, monetary losses come second when placed next to the possibility of losing lives in the air. Last year, a plane lost an engine minutes after takeoff he said, noting that the incident took place the day after fuel was siphoned from the aircraft.

"We don't know what it was due to," said Jackson. "But what's really amazing is that it happened the next day after we had this trouble, who knows."

Pilot Ken Barnes added that it's not known what contaminants are introduced, deliberately or not, when fuel thieves suction gas from the planes.

"They use a dirty hose or whatever to suck gas out of a plane, who knows what they're introducing to the tank," he said. Barnes added that these contaminants could lead to gas contamination, engine failure or other mechanical problems for planes that are constantly used to fly people around the area.

He said that since things have gotten so bad, he's out checking planes every day for signs of fuel siphoning. After reporting one incident, Barnes said he went out to check on other planes on a whim and discovered three more fuel caps had been taken off, indicating fuel had been stolen.

Jackson said that although local police are often called once an incident is discovered, there isn't much that can be done to prevent thefts. While there are some city cameras installed on the property, many planes simply are too far to be captured on film.

He added there used to be a safety officer on site to watch the property, but as of lately the resources to bring back full-time security are lacking.

"We just don't have the resources to put that safety officer out here," Jackson said. "And we just can't physically be here 24 hours a day." He said however, that the current airport commission has to the best of their ability, done what it can to help pilots protect their planes from thieves.

Barnes pointed out that most people aren't aware that since the airport is city property, stealing gas on site is a federal offense. He hopes this will deter some thieves from trying to siphon gas.

"This isn't like stealing gas from an automobile," he said. "You're committing a federal offense and creating a situation where plane equipment and lives are at stake."

Jackson said that he hopes to improve the level of security at the airport over the coming weeks.