Piper PA-32R-300 N8322C

Summary

On 4 March 2006 at about 21:45 local time, a Piper PA-32R-300 registered N8322C, operated by Ronald D. Craig, was involved in an accident near Winslow, Arizona, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 March 2006 at 21:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Winslow, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Winslow-Lindbergh Regional (KINW)

Coordinates

35.0217, -110.7225

Aircraft

Piper PA-32R-300

Registration

N8322C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Ronald D. Craig

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Winslow → Palm Springs

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC06LA021

2 people had minor injuries.

The presence of a foreign material/substance in the fuel system, which partially blocked the fuel flow divider, and resulted in a loss of engine power during takeoff-initial climb, and an emergency landing. A factor associated with the accident was unsuitable terrain for a forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The certificated private pilot, with one passenger, was on a cross-country personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91. Just after takeoff, when the airplane was about 200 feet above the ground, the engine began to run rough and lose power. Emergency procedures did not restore power, and the airplane collided with a barbwire fence during an off-airport forced landing, sustaining substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The airplane was equipped with a recently installed factory-remanufactured Textron Lycoming IO-540 engine. Postaccident investigation revealed a grayish, soft, rubbery material partially blocking the ports of the fuel flow divider's metering pin. There was no debris discovered in the interior of the fuel injector servo, or in the fuel injector's inlet screen. According to a representative of Textron Lycoming, fuel system components on factory-remanufactured engines are shipped separately. It is the responsibility of the receiving maintenance technician to install the fuel system components on the engine, and ensure that no debris enters the fuel line or fuel flow divider during the installation process. A Safety Board senior metallurgist who examined the gray foreign material was unable to identify the source, but reported it consisted of agglomerations of smaller particles, consistent with a Teflon-like material. The Safety Board metallurgist also reported that the rubbery material was not consistent with fuel supply line material, and no additional debris was found inside the fuel line or within the fuel injector servo.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.