Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA 30 near Clifton, TX — 2015-07-13

Final reportCEN15LA357
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Date
2015-07-13
Location
Clifton, TX, USA
Airport
7F7
Aircraft
PIPER PA 30
Registration
N7768Y
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain control during a precautionary landing following a total loss of power to one engine. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined based on available information.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the accident flight was the first flight following an annual inspection. During initial climb after takeoff, he noticed that the fuel flow to the right engine was higher than normal, and that the exhaust gas temperature was lower than normal. He noted that moving the propeller control had no effect on propeller rpm, and he elected to return to the airport. On the downwind leg of the traffic pattern for landing, the right engine experienced a total loss of power, and the pilot was unable to restart the engine or feather the propeller. The pilot also stated that the propeller was not windmilling following the loss of power. During the subsequent final landing approach, when the airplane was about 20 feet above the ground, the right wing "suddenly and violently rolled to the right," and the airplane impacted the ground. Postaccident examination of the airplane's engines, ignition systems, fuel system, and fuel controls did not reveal any anomalies, and a reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined. Although a first responder to the accident observed the right engine fuel selector in the auxiliary tank position, no information was available regarding fuel quantities present in the fuel tanks at the time of the accident. Examination of the right propeller revealed that the propeller dome had no air charge, which is likely the reason for the lack of response to the pilot's propeller control inputs; however, this should not have prevented the propeller from entering the feather position after the engine lost power. It is likely that the propeller did not feather because the start locks engaged following the loss of power and the pilot's subsequent attempts to restart the engine.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot did not switch fuel tanks during restart attempts after engine issues.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 6 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents6

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