Pilot Debrief

Piper PA32 near Fargo, ND — 2020-06-03

Final reportCEN20LA208
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Date
2020-06-03
Location
Fargo, ND, USA
Airport
FAR
Aircraft
Piper PA32
Registration
N3869W
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Preflight

Probable cause

Failure of the engine driven fuel pump which led to a fuel leak and subsequent fire in the engine compartment.

NTSB narrative

The flight instructor attempted to start the airplane for the instructional flight when the engine started and began to sputter a few seconds later. He moved the mixture control forward, but the engine quit. The instructor then saw black smoke emanating from the engine cowl. He continued cranking the engine in an attempt to draw the fire into the engine. The fire continued so the flight instructor ordered an evacuation of the airplane. The subsequent fire substantially damaged the engine compartment. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed the highest intensity heat and fire was near the engine driven fuel pump. The fuel pump subsequently leaked when it was pressurized with fuel. It is likely the failure of the engine-driven pump allowed fuel to exit and become exposed to the hot engine, which caused the fire.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Properly check and push the mixture in before starting the engine.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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