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19980402005309A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Beech F33A · Fort Pierce, FL · April 2, 1998

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Date
April 2, 1998 · 14:00 local
Place
Fort Pierce, FL
Airport
St Lucie County International
Phase of flight
Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
DECTB
Reported as
Beech F33A
Reported engine
Continental IO520BA
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,100 total23 in this make and model45 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.

Lost power on climbout. Landed in trees. Cuase power lost to be investigated.(.4) on April 2, 1998, about 1400 eastern standard time, a Beech F33A, d-ectb (german), registered to a private individual, operating as a title 14 CFR part 91 local personal flight, impacted with trees during a forced landing near Fort Pierce, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was disroyed. The private-rated pilot was not injured. The flight was originating from the Fort Pierce airport at the time. The flight had departed runway 14, and had reached an altitude of about 200 feet, when the pilot reported a loss of engine power. The pilot elected to make a forced landing straight ahead into trees. After impact, the pilot closed off the fuel valve. Examination of the wreckage after the accident revealed that the fuel tanks had fuel. The pilot said the fuel selector was on the left tank when the loss of power occurred. Observation of the engine at the crash site did not reveal any obvious discrepancies. The engine was removed from the airframe and shipped to Continental motor's facilities, mobile, Alabama, and examined at the ntsb's reques t, and under the supervision of the FAA, on June 24, 1998. The engine examination revealed that the fuel control system exhibited fluid leakage at the fuel pump and throttle shaft. Detailed examination of the fuel pump showed that the pump leaked fluid at the rear high speed adjusting needle at the seal to the pump body. There was no evidence of impact damage observed on the fuel pump. In addition, the throttle/metering unit leaked fluid at the throttle shaft into the metering unit. The leak at the throttle shaft was severe enough that no flow test was possible. The throttle arm displayed impact damage. The throttle shaft was removed from the unit, and the "o" ring seal was found flat from weat. The ring was replaced and the leakage stopped. The unit was then flow tested to manufactuer's standards. No other discrepancies were found during the engine examination (see tcm analytical report page 3). At the airplane owner's request, the engine was shipped to Fort Pierce, Florida, on July 23, 1998, directly from tcm, mobile, Alabama. (-23) engine lost power on take off and the pilot landed in a field approxi mately 1 mile southeast of Fort Pierce, St Lucie County International Airport.

As the FAA filed it

LOST POWER ON CLIMBOUT. LANDED IN TREES. CUASE POWER LOST TO BE INVESTIGATED.(.4) ON APRIL 2, 1998, ABOUT 1400 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A BEECH F33A, D-ECTB (GERMAN), REGISTERED TO A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL, OPERATING AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 LOCAL PERSONAL FLIGHT, IMPACTED WITH TREES DURING A FORCED LANDING NEAR FORT PIERCE, FLORIDA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRPLANE WAS DISROYED. THE PRIVATE-RATED PILOT WAS NOT INJURED. THE FLIGHT WAS ORIGINATING FROM THE FORT PIERCE AIRPORT AT THE TIME. THE FLIGHT HAD DEPARTED RUNWAY 14, AND HAD REACHED AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 200 FEET, WHEN THE PILOT REPORTED A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. THE PILOT ELECTED TO MAKE A FORCED LANDING STRAIGHT AHEAD INTO TREES. AFTER IMPACT, THE PILOT CLOSED OFF THE FUEL VALVE. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE AFTER THE ACCIDENT REVEALED THAT THE FUEL TANKS HAD FUEL. THE PILOT SAID THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS ON THE LEFT TANK WHEN THE LOSS OF POWER OCCURRED.OBSERVATION OF THE ENGINE AT THE CRASH SITE DID NOT REVEAL ANY OBVIOUS DISCREPANCIES. THE ENGINE WAS REMOVED FROM THE AIRFRAME AND SHIPPED TO CONTINENTAL MOTOR'S FACILITIES, MOBILE, ALABAMA, AND EXAMINED AT THE NTSB'S REQUES T, AND UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE FAA, ON JUNE 24, 1998. THE ENGINE EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE FUEL CONTROL SYSTEM EXHIBITED FLUID LEAKAGE AT THE FUEL PUMP AND THROTTLE SHAFT. DETAILED EXAMINATION OF THE FUEL PUMP SHOWED THAT THE PUMP LEAKED FLUID AT THE REAR HIGH SPEED ADJUSTING NEEDLE AT THE SEAL TO THE PUMP BODY. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF IMPACT DAMAGE OBSERVED ON THE FUEL PUMP. IN ADDITION, THE THROTTLE/METERING UNIT LEAKED FLUID AT THE THROTTLE SHAFT INTO THE METERING UNIT. THE LEAK AT THE THROTTLE SHAFT WAS SEVERE ENOUGH THAT NO FLOW TEST WAS POSSIBLE. THE THROTTLE ARM DISPLAYED IMPACT DAMAGE. THE THROTTLE SHAFT WAS REMOVED FROM THE UNIT, AND THE "O" RING SEAL WAS FOUND FLAT FROM WEAT. THE RING WAS REPLACED AND THE LEAKAGE STOPPED. THE UNIT WAS THEN FLOW TESTED TO MANUFACTUER'S STANDARDS. NO OTHER DISCREPANCIES WERE FOUND DURING THE ENGINE EXAMINATION (SEE TCM ANALYTICAL REPORT PAGE 3). AT THE AIRPLANE OWNER'S REQUEST, THE ENGINE WAS SHIPPED TO FORT PIERCE, FLORIDA, ON JULY 23, 1998, DIRECTLY FROM TCM, MOBILE, ALABAMA. (-23) ENGINE LOST POWER ON TAKE OFF AND THE PILOT LANDED IN A FIELD APPROXI MATELY 1 MILE SOUTHEAST OF FORT PIERCE, ST LUCIE COUNTY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.