Piper PA-32S-300 N5212S

Summary

On 20 July 2012 at about 19:15 local time, a Piper PA-32S-300 registered N5212S was involved in an accident near Adelanto, California, United States. 3 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

20 July 2012 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Adelanto, California, United States

Nearest airport

Adelanto (52CL)

Coordinates

34.5375, -117.4606

Aircraft

Piper PA-32S-300

Registration

N5212S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Victorville → Hesperia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR12LA315

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the aborted takeoff, which was aborted due to fuel starvation as a result of an inadvertent in-flight activation of the fuel drain activation lever by the passenger. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to have the fuel drain protective cover repaired prior to flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed from the dirt airstrip with two passengers. The takeoff roll was uneventful, and shortly after rotation, the engine emanated an unusual sound and lost power. With half the runway remaining, the pilot elected to land ahead. The airplane subsequently landed hard, departed the runway, and struck a pole. The pilot reported that the electrical fuel pump made an unusual sound during the run-up but still produced nominal fuel pressure. The pump, as well as the airframe and engine, were subsequently examined, and no malfunctions or failures were noted that would have precluded normal operation. The electrical pump is a backup for the engine driven pump and will provide positive fuel pressure in the event of an engine driven pump failure. Therefore, a failure of the electrical pump likely would not cause a loss of engine power. Further examination of the airframe revealed a large fuel streak trailing along the belly of the airplane, emanating from the fuel drain sump port. The pilot stated that the stain was not present when the airplane was washed a few flights prior to the accident. A passenger was seated above the drain activation lever, which is located in the aft area of the footwell at the base of the right middle seat. The protective cover had been damaged previously and had not been repaired prior to the accident flight. As such, the lever was exposed and could easily have been inadvertently activated by the passenger’s foot. Such activation could drain fuel from the sump pump and subsequently starve the engine of fuel and result in a loss of engine power. The inclusion of the protective cover was required per a Federal Aviation Administration Airworthiness Directive in order to prevent inadvertent activation in flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.