# Accident 20040428007639A: Beech A36, Bedford, MA, April 28, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 28, 2004, 15:00 local time
- Place: Bedford, MA
- Airport: Laurence G Hanscom Fld
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.4633° N, 71.2933° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.4633&lon=-71.2933&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3243P, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3243P-2010-01-27) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Beech A36 (registry code 1151604, https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-a36) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BEECH A36
- Reported engine: CONT IO550B
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 3,100 total, 1,200 in this make and model, 20 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB IAD04LA018](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD04LA018) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040428007639A

## Narrative

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

(-23) AIRCRAFT WAS TAKING OFF FROM RWY 29 AT BED ON INITIAL FLIGHT AFTER OVERHAUL AND RE-INSTALLATION OF AIRCRAFT ENGINE. AT 500 FEET AGL PROP RPM SUDDENLY DROPPED FROM 2700 TO APPROXIMATELY 2550 AND WITHIN 2-3 SECONDS THE ENGINE FAILED COMPLETELY. PILOT TURNED LEFT APPROXIMATELY 150 DEGREES AND MADE EMERGENCY LANDING BACK TO THE FIELD. HE LANDED ON THE INFIELD BETWEEN RUNWAY 5-23, AND TAXIWAY SIERRA. PILOT EXTENDED GEAR AND LANDED HARD COLLAPSING THE GEAR ON THE SECOND BOUNCE. AIRCRAFT SLID APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET AND WENT BETWEEN TWO CORPORATE JET AIRCRAFT PRIOR TO STOPPING. SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, POSSIBLY DESTROYED. ENGINE WAS INSPECTED BY A REPRESENTATIVE OF CONTINENTAL AIRCRAFT ENGINES, TWO FAA AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTORS AND AN NTSB AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATOR. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT UNMETERED FUEL RETURN LINE CONNECTED TO THE ENGINE DRIVEN FUEL PUMP HAD NOT BEEN TORQUED. FAA INSPECTOR FOUND THAT THE LINE WAS ONLY HAND TIGHT. PROPER TORQUE WAS APPLIED TO THE NUT HOLDING THE UNMETERED FUEL LINE IN PLACE AND ENGINE RAN NORMALLY. TORQUE WAS REDUCED AND THE ENGINE CEASED OPERATING. THIS PROCEDURE WAS REPEATED SEVERAL TIMES AND EACH TIME THE ENGINE RAN SUCCESSFULLY AND THEN FAILED WHEN TORQUE WAS REDUCED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB IAD04LA018](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD04LA018), Apr 28, 2004: Beech A36 (N3243P), Bedford, MA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The mechanic's failure to properly torque the engine-driven fuel pump's return line B-nut fitting.

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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