Aviation Crash Map

Piper PA-32R-301T N4379A

6 April 2007 · Lincoln, California, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 6 April 2007 at about 18:45 local time, a Piper PA-32R-301T registered N4379A was involved in an accident near Lincoln, California, United States. 2 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.

The record

Date
at 18:45
Classification
Accident
Location
Lincoln, California, United States
Nearest airport
Lincoln (LHM)
Coordinates
38.9092, -121.3514
Aircraft
Piper PA-32R-301T
Registration
N4379A
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Lincoln → Unknown
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
SEA07LA092

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
2 0 0 0 2

Probable cause

An in-flight fire occurred during the initial climb as a result of the aviation maintenance technician's failure to sufficiently tighten the b-nut that was found disconnected post-accident. A contributing factor was the engine manufacturer's failure to specify a torque value.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot experienced an in flight fire after takeoff and force-landed the airplane short of the runway. The pilot performed a preflight and run up that were uneventful. As the airplane climbed through 1,000 feet, he saw a puff of white smoke. He elected to return to land and as he neared the airport, a fire erupted, and he landed in a field. At 5.4 hours prior to the accident, the number 5 cylinder was replaced. Post accident examination showed that the fuel injection line of the number 5 cylinder was disconnected at the fitting of the manifold assembly, located below the number 3 cylinder assembly. The b-nut was off the threads of the fitting and floating along the steel fuel line. The fuel line and b-nut were visually undamaged. The fuel line b-nut was reassembled to the manifold assembly without binding, and then it was tightened. No other anomalies were noted. The engine manufacturer representative stated that there are no manufacturer published torque values for the b-nut.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Piper PA-32R accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
26 Sep 2007 Piper PA-32R-301T
N8341G
Defiance, Ohio, United States Paul E. Harris Fatal 1
15 Aug 2007 Piper PA-32R-301T
N3120T
Alton, Illinois, United States Dutchman Leasing LLC No injuries -
7 Nov 2007 Piper PA-32R
FHCDV
Merrenberg, France
no coordinates
- Fatal 1
30 Sep 2007 Piper PA-32R-301T
N4175A
Stockton, California, United States
no coordinates
Albert P. Halluin No injuries -
24 Mar 2007 Piper PA-32R-301
N324ST
Jacksonville, Maryland, United States Theodore Charles Ryder Fatal 3
21 Oct 2007 Piper PA-32R-301
N43450
Farmingdale, New York, United States - No injuries -

All 525 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

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5 Jul 2007 Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2C
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22 May 2007 Schweizer SGS2-33A
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25 May 2007 Westland WASP HAS MK1
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Ramona, California, United States - Minor injuries -
8 Jul 2007 Cessna 152
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no coordinates
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25 May 2007 Skygear SKYGEAR
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Chino, California, United States - Fatal 1

All 170,864 records in United States