Beechcraft A36 N25496

Summary

On 16 October 2003 at about 03:17 local time, a Beechcraft A36 registered N25496, operated by Carver Aero, was involved in an accident near Davenport, Iowa, United States. One person was 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

16 October 2003 at 03:17

Classification

Accident

Location

Davenport, Iowa, United States

Nearest airport

Davenport Municipal (DVN)

Coordinates

41.6103, -90.5883

Aircraft

Beechcraft A36

Registration

N25496

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Carver Aero

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Davenport → Chicago

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CHI04LA019

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of the improper installation of the fuel nozzle. Also causal was the engine manufacturer's improper installation instructions for the nozzle pressure port plug on the fuel manifold valve. A factor associated with the accident was the corn crop which was contacted during the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with a corn crop following a loss of engine power shortly after takeoff. The pilot stated that during another flight earlier on the day of the accident, he noticed an odor of fuel. He was unable to identify the source of the smell. The airplane operated normally and the fuel flow was normal. The pilot reported that during the next flight, he was once again able to smell fuel and when climbing through 3,000 feet, the engine lost power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine. After landing in the corn field, smoke entered the cabin. Post accident inspection of the engine revealed the nozzle pressure port plug on the aft side of the fuel manifold valve was not in place, nor was it located. Blue fuel stains were evident under the left magneto and on the engine case under the right cylinders. The plug hole and the area surrounding the hole were inspected and there was no evidence of torque putty (Loctite) having been used when the plug was installed. The injector line fittings and the fuel inlet fitting had torque putty applied to them. The engine had operated 10.1 hours since it was overhauled. Continental Motors reviewed their build-up procedures for the IO-550 engines and determined that the requirement for applying Loctite to the suspect fitting had been removed from the procedures. Continental Motors subsequently issued a Quality Alert re-inserting the requirement for Loctite to be applied to the nozzle pressure port plug at installation. The procedures manual and build-up instructions for the IO-550 were also revised to include the requirement that Loctite be applied to the plug.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.