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20030715016209I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA31350 · Lubbock, TX · July 15, 2003

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 15, 2003 · 16:15 local
Place
Lubbock, TX
Airport
Lubbock International Airport
Phase of flight
Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N27726
Reported as
Piper PA31350
Reported engine
Lycoming TIO540*
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
3,000 total30 in this make and model88 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.

(-23) Black smoke was reported coming from the right engine during taxi and take-off. The pilot stated the right engine was running rough and making a popping noise after take-off from runway 8 at Lubbock International Airport (lbb). The pilot reduced power on the right engine and attempted to return for landing on runway 35L. The pilot did not shut down the engine because it was developing some power and there was no evidence of an engine fire. The pilot was unable to maintain flying speed to maneuver the aircraft for landing on runway 35L and instead made a gear up landing in the grass separating runways 8 and 35L, in front of the main terminal. There were no injuries to the pilot or the two passengers. The cause of the engine problem was due to clogged fuel injector on the number 3 cylinder. This caused an overly rich mixture of fuel to the remaining cylinders creating the black smoke and rough engine operation. The pilot was not able to make runway 35L and decided to land in the grass with the gear in the up position, resulting in minor damage to the fuselage, engines, and propellers.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) BLACK SMOKE WAS REPORTED COMING FROM THE RIGHT ENGINE DURING TAXI AND TAKE-OFF. THE PILOT STATED THE RIGHT ENGINE WAS RUNNING ROUGH AND MAKING A POPPING NOISE AFTER TAKE-OFF FROM RUNWAY 8 AT LUBBOCK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (LBB). THE PILOT REDUCED POWER ON THE RIGHT ENGINE AND ATTEMPTED TO RETURN FOR LANDING ON RUNWAY 35L. THE PILOT DID NOT SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE BECAUSE IT WAS DEVELOPING SOME POWER AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF AN ENGINE FIRE. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN FLYING SPEED TO MANEUVER THE AIRCRAFT FOR LANDING ON RUNWAY 35L AND INSTEAD MADE A GEAR UP LANDING IN THE GRASS SEPARATING RUNWAYS 8 AND 35L, IN FRONT OF THE MAIN TERMINAL. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE PILOT OR THE TWO PASSENGERS. THE CAUSE OF THE ENGINE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO CLOGGED FUEL INJECTOR ON THE NUMBER 3 CYLINDER. THIS CAUSED AN OVERLY RICH MIXTURE OF FUEL TO THE REMAINING CYLINDERS CREATING THE BLACK SMOKE AND ROUGH ENGINE OPERATION. THE PILOT WAS NOT ABLE TO MAKE RUNWAY 35L AND DECIDED TO LAND IN THE GRASS WITH THE GEAR IN THE UP POSITION, RESULTING IN MINOR DAMAGE TO THE FUSELAGE, ENGINES, AND PROPELLERS.