# Incident 20030715016209I: Piper PA31350, Lubbock, TX, July 15, 2003

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 15, 2003, 16:15 local time
- Place: Lubbock, TX
- Airport: Lubbock International Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.5779° N, 101.8552° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Lubbock, TX, within about 7 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.5779&lon=-101.8552&mi=10
- Aircraft: N27726 (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA31350
- Reported engine: LYC TIO540*
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 3,000 total, 30 in this make and model, 88 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030715016209I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-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.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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