D8073 Concerns: A Test That Doesn’t Measure What It Claims

Bottom Line: This is a Flight-Safety Issue

Filter-separators exist to strip free water out of jet fuel before it reaches an aircraft — water left in fuel can
freeze and restrict fuel flow, feed microbial (“bug”) growth that fouls filters, and corrode tanks and fuel
system components. D8073 is supposed to confirm a fuel will release that water. Independent field data,
independent bench data, and the manufacturer’s own validation numbers all show it routinely reports a
“pass” on fuel that D3948 and D7224 — and real filter-separator behavior — show has lost that ability.
That’s because D8073 isn’t measuring water separation at all; it’s reading the glow of a dye. A test that
reliably misses degraded water separation isn’t a paperwork problem. It’s a flight-safety risk.

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