Beechcraft A36 N12MB

Summary

On 15 December 2002 at about 16:14 local time, a Beechcraft A36 registered N12MB was involved in an accident near Laurens, South Carolina, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 December 2002 at 16:14

Classification

Accident

Location

Laurens, South Carolina, United States

Coordinates

34.5117, -81.9500

Aircraft

Beechcraft A36

Registration

N12MB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Greer → Laurens

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA03LA028

Nobody was injured.

Improper maintenance and inspection of the airplane by other maintenance personnel, and their failure to install the fuel line support after maintenance had been completed, which resulted in the introduction of vibrational loads and the in-flight separation of the fuel line from the fuel flow transmitter, fuel starvation, the subsequent loss of engine power, an emergency descent/ landing, and damage to the airplane during the off airport landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he reached an altitude of 7,000 feet and leveled the airplane, when all of a sudden he felt a slight bump, and the engine immediately lost all power. He performed emergency procedures, but the engine did not regain power. While performing emergency procedures, he said he noticed fuel streaming from the area of the cowling, aft toward the windshield, so he committed himself to making a forced landing. The pilot executed a forced landing in an area of low pine trees and the airplane incurred substantial damage. The FAA inspector stated that postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the stainless steel fuel line at the front top side of the engine had separated from the fuel flow transmitter, consistent with the pilot's report of the loss of engine power, and fuel streaming out the top of the cowling. The inspector said that the fitting on the fuel flow transmitter showed signs of fretting, and had been cracked, allowing fuel pressure to cause the hose to back off the o-ringed nipple. In addition, the support standoff that attaches the fuel line to the top alternator mount so as to provide support for the fuel line, was not attached, and had been subject to vibration loads, causing the fitting to separate from the fuel flow transmitter. Maintenance records indicate that the alternator had been replaced by a maintenance facility 26.6 hours prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.