AOPA et al. File Complaint Protesting California 100LL Ban

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and local co-complainants in California filed a 47-page complaint last week with the U.S. Department of Transportation/Federal Aviation Administration against Santa Clara County in California. The complaint asks the FAA to reach a determination “without further delay” to a previous filing protesting the county’s 2022 “unprecedented” fuel ban on 100 low lead (100LL) aviation fuel.

Regarding the recent availability of GAMI G100UL 100-octane unleaded fuel at Reid-Hillview Airport and the introduction of Swift 94-octane fuel at San Martin Airport, AOPA General Counsel Justine Harrison wrote that while those measures “are incremental steps forward in the unleaded fuel transition, they are not a comprehensive solution. It is dangerous to create fragmented fuel availability for the piston fleet.”

AOPA and its co-complainants raised procedural and factual issues with the county’s latest legal move—a motion to “further supplement the record” following the announcement of the availability of G100UL at Reid-Hillview. AOPA noted in its most recent filing that since the ban on 100LL took effect on Jan. 1, 2022, “there has been one documented aircraft accident with serious injuries due to ‘fuel starvation’ and two documented misfuelings.” AOPA further cited uncertainty related to whether or not Swift 94UL could be mixed legally and safely with GAMI G100UL.

Harrison’s AOPA filing included: “This is why [the] continued availability of 100LL while 100 octane unleaded fuels become available is vital for safety, efficiency and airport access.”