I work with aircraft refuelers. I want to be as safety-conscious as possible.
CRASHES that have occurred that involved the aircraft refueler job position
Air Canada Flight 143 ("Gimli Glider") — The fuel had been calculated in pounds instead of kilograms by the ground crew, and the erroneous calculation had been approved by the flight crew. There were no fatalities, thanks to the expert skill of the pilots.
"The employee said that he asked the pilot again if he wanted jet fuel, and the pilot said, ‘yes,’. ... Jet fuel nozzles are shaped differently from nozzles for standard aviation fuel but the employee told investigators he was able to fill the Aerostar by positioning the nozzle at certain angles. The employee said he initially spilled about a gallon of fuel during refueling and “adjusted his technique so subsequent fuel spillage was minimal,” the report says."
1954 Swissair Convair CV-240 crash — Fuel was ordered but none was loaded, and the pilot didn't notice the discrepancy on his gauges. Three of nine people drowned.
A Cessna 208A Caravan, used for skydiving operations at Jenkinsburg, Georgia, crashed following a loss of engine power just after taking off on 29 September 1985. The aircraft had been refuelled with contaminated fuel (with water and what appeared to be brown algae); all 17 occupants died.
Tuninter Flight 1153 — Installation of a fuel quantity indicator for an ATR 42 in the ATR 72; the incorrect indicator was over-reading by >2,000 kg. Sixteen of 39 people died.