19990821028029I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-31-350 · Cocoa, FL · August 21, 1999

Date: August 21, 1999 · 07:50 local
Place: Cocoa, FL
Airport: Merritt Island Airport
Phase of flight: Ground Taxi, Other Airplane
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: FCTA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N31RD
Reported as: Piper PA31350
Reported engine: Lycoming LTIO540J2BD
People aboard: 6
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,450 total600 in this make and model150 in the last 90 days

N31RDRegistered now · Piper PA-31-350S/N 31-7852059 Airframe modelPiper PA-31-350 Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

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.

(-23) Right engine power loss in flight, precautionary landing was made at marrett Island airport. After landing during taxi to the ramp the right engine caught on fire. Passengers were evacuated, airport fire department put fire out with a hand fire extinguisher. Maintenance inspection revealed that the #4 cylinder head had separated from the lower cylinder barrel causing the #4 cylinder fuel injection line to break which caused the fire. The fire damage was confined to the #4 cylinder area. No structural damage or fire wall damage. Inspector jerry wilke of the tampa FSDO was at the airport at the time of the occurance and assisted in the investigation and faxed his report to the mco FSDO.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) RIGHT ENGINE POWER LOSS IN FLIGHT, PRECAUTIONARY LANDING WAS MADE AT MARRETT ISLAND AIRPORT. AFTER LANDING DURING TAXI TO THE RAMP THE RIGHT ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE. PASSENGERS WERE EVACUATED, AIRPORT FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT FIRE OUT WITH A HAND FIRE EXTINGUISHER. MAINTENANCE INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE #4 CYLINDER HEAD HAD SEPARATED FROM THE LOWER CYLINDER BARREL CAUSING THE #4 CYLINDER FUEL INJECTION LINE TO BREAK WHICH CAUSED THE FIRE. THE FIRE DAMAGE WAS CONFINED TO THE #4 CYLINDER AREA. NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OR FIRE WALL DAMAGE. INSPECTOR JERRY WILKE OF THE TAMPA FSDO WAS AT THE AIRPORT AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURANCE AND ASSISTED IN THE INVESTIGATION AND FAXED HIS REPORT TO THE MCO FSDO.