Piper PA-23-150 N3162P

Summary

On 23 October 2013 at about 17:40 local time, a Piper PA-23-150 registered N3162P was involved in an accident near Tucson, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 October 2013 at 17:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Tucson, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Tucson Intern Arpt (TUS)

Coordinates

32.1122, -110.9333

Aircraft

Piper PA-23-150

Registration

N3162P

Category

Airplane

Year built

1957

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tucson → Tucson

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14LA027

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during takeoff following the loss of left engine power due to the failure of the left engine-driven fuel pump’s diaphragm. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to use the electric fuel boost pumps for takeoff in accordance with checklist procedures and to conduct the engine failure emergency procedure.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot, who did not have a multiengine rating, reported that, during takeoff, the airplane's nose starting turning left; he did not realize that it was due to the left engine losing power. As a result, he did not perform the engine failure emergency procedure. A witness reported hearing one of the engines "misfiring" and subsequently seeing the airplane drift left, roll into a steep left bank, and then impact the ground. Postaccident examination revealed no fuel in the left engine's fuel strainer and carburetor; the right engine's fuel strainer and carburetor both contained fuel. Fuel was present in both the left and right wing fuel tanks, and no evidence of fuel contamination was found. The left engine-driven fuel pump's diaphragm was found to be brittle and cracked in several locations, which resulted in its inability to provide sufficient fuel pressure to maintain engine power during takeoff. No other anomalies were found with the left engine's fuel system. The electric fuel boost pump switches were both found in the "off" position, indicating that the pilot had not turned them on before takeoff as called for in both the owner's handbook before takeoff checklist and the before takeoff checklist located on a placard on the instrument panel. If the pilot had turned on the electric fuel boost pumps, the left engine would not have lost power because the electric pump would have compensated for the malfunction of the engine-driven pump.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.