19960514010489I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-20 · Moneta, VA · May 14, 1996

Date
May 14, 1996 · 15:10 local
Place
Moneta, VA
Airport
Smith Mountain Lake Airport
Phase of flight
In Traffic Pattern-Circling
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N7799K
Reported as
Piper PA20
Reported engine
Lycoming O235C
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
400 total100 in this make and model18 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: pilot had been conducting touch and go's at the Smith Mountain airport. After the third touch and go, while on base leg, the engine quit. Examination of the valve train, mag drive, compression and fuel flow indicated an obstruction in the form of insect larva (mud dauber) lodged in the right fuel line tee causing fuel supply loss to the carburetor.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: PILOT HAD BEEN CONDUCTING TOUCH AND GO'S AT THE SMITH MOUNTAIN AIRPORT. AFTER THE THIRD TOUCH AND GO, WHILE ON BASE LEG, THE ENGINE QUIT. EXAMINATION OF THE VALVE TRAIN, MAG DRIVE, COMPRESSION AND FUEL FLOW INDICATED AN OBSTRUCTION IN THE FORM OF INSECT LARVA (MUD DAUBER) LODGED IN THE RIGHT FUEL LINE TEE CAUSING FUEL SUPPLY LOSS TO THE CARBURETOR.