Aircraft towing is not allowed with a lateral fuel imbalance between wings that exceeds ______ of fuel.

• A. 6,000 pounds
• B. 8,000 pounds
• C. 10,000 pounds
• D. 12,000 pounds

Answer: (B)

Lateral balance directly affects tow stability. When fuel is heavier on one wing, the aircraft’s center of gravity shifts toward that wing, creating a yaw moment that the nose gear and tow tractor must resist. If the difference between the left and right wing fuel exceeds a certain limit, the yaw and sideways forces become too large to control safely during towing, risking loss of directional control or damage to the nose gear and tow hardware. The safe towing threshold for fuel imbalance is 8,000 pounds, so towing is not allowed if the wings differ by more than that amount. If you encounter a larger imbalance, you’d need to re-balance fuel or move fuel to bring the difference under the limit before towing.