Pilot Maintains Solvents Found In Gas Tank

The planned around-the-world flight of Gus McLeod was placed on indefinite hold last week, as a substance believed to be lacquer thinner was found in the fuel of his Velocity aircraft... an incident, McLeod believes, that points to sabotage.

The substance was discovered earlier this month, after a clogged fuel line on a test flight led McLeod to drain the fuel from the aircraft's inner fuel tanks. A yellowish substance in the drained fuel led the pilot, a former CIA chemist, to send the results off to a lab.

The result? A "concoction of caustic solvents," that McLeod believes to be lacquer thinner.

The pilot believes the thinner dissolved epoxy inside the plane's fuel tanks, which caused the line to clog -- a finding also backed up by what McLeod found when he cut open the fuel tanks -- "the insides were all chewed up," according to the pilot.

"This is a hard thing to wrap my mind around," McLeod said this weekend to the Baltimore Sun. "I can't believe I would be so important that someone would want to hurt me."

McLeod (file photo, right) said the lacquer thinner may have come from a can he'd left next to the aircraft one night last month, after using the solvent to wipe adhesive residue from the plane's skin. He recalled finding the can on its side next to the plane the next morning, as if someone had used it -- although he didn't suspect anything at the time.

Police are now investigating the incident -- and if it is found someone tampered with the aircraft, the charge could range from vandalism to attempted murder, according to a police spokesman.

As was reported last month in Aero-News, McLeod has run into a series of mishaps on his attempt to fly around the world -- including a nosegear strut that collapsed during his most recent attempt in October.

While there was no evidence of foul play in that incident -- attributed to a broken bolt -- McLeod adds "but we weren't looking for foul play," either.

The fuel allegedly contaminated by the solvents was also in the plane during last month's attempt, the pilot said, although he was using different tanks at that time.

McLeod has since moved his aircraft to an undisclosed location.

FMI: www.gusmcleod.com