# Accident 20040509008109A: Piper PA31350, Morrisville, VT, May 9, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 9, 2004, 14:20 local time
- Place: Morrisville, VT
- Airport: Morrisville Stowe State
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: To Aborted (Fixed Wing)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 44.5356° N, 72.6000° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.5356&lon=-72.6000&mi=10
- Aircraft: N151LL (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA31350
- People aboard: 7
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 4,025 total, 400 in this make and model, 175 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC04LA119](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC04LA119) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040509008109A

## Narrative

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

(-23) AFTER TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 700-800 FEET DOWN THE RUNWAY DURING A NORMAL TAKEOFF AT MORRISVILLE, VT, (MVL), THE PILOT OBSERVED THE LEFT ENGINE NOT DEVELOPING NORMAL TAKEOFF POWER AND ELECTED TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF. SIMULTANEOUSLY, AS ENGINE POWER WAS RETARDED, THE PILOT AND PASSENGERS NOTICED A BRIGHT FLASH FROM THE RIGHT WING WITH THE OUTER PORTION (OUTBOARD OF THE ENGINE NACELLE) APPEARING TO EXPLODE, DEFORMING THE WING'S LEADING EDGE. AFTER STOPPING ON THE RUNWAY AND SECURING THE ENGINES, AN EVACUATION WAS INITIATED WITH NO INJURIES TO CREW OR PASSENGERS. DUE TO THE DESTRUCTION/DEFORMATION OF THE RIGHT WING'S SPAR, THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED AS AN "ACCIDENT." DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE DAMAGE MAY BE OBTAINED THROUGH THE FAA IIC.

## 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 NYC04LA119](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC04LA119), May 9, 2004: Piper PA-31-350 (N151LL), Morrisville, VT, substantial damage. Probable cause: The improper installation of an electrical wire, which resulted in arching and the initiation of a fuel vapor explosion. A factor related to the accident was the failure of maintenance personnel to…

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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