20050720014779I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 421C · Lubbock, TX · July 20, 2005

Date: July 20, 2005 · 06:58 local
Place: Lubbock, TX
Airport: Lubbock International Airport
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N113MD
Reported as: Cessna 421C
Reported engine: Continental GTSIO520*
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 18,000 total11,000 in this make and model150 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) During cruise flight some 50-60 miles southeast of lbb, the left engine made an unusual sound and the pilot noticed that the left nacelle was on fire. The pilot shut the engine down and the fire subsided. The pilot declared an emergency and landed at lbb. During the investigation, it was found that the left engine turbo charger waste gate oil line was not connected to the waste gate. The threads on the fitting showed no signs of damage. The threads in the waste gate boss were stripped. There was evidence of fire damage to the nacelle area around the waste gate area and across the top of the nacelle to the trailing edge.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) DURING CRUISE FLIGHT SOME 50-60 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LBB, THE LEFT ENGINE MADE AN UNUSUAL SOUND AND THE PILOT NOTICED THAT THE LEFT NACELLE WAS ON FIRE. THE PILOT SHUT THE ENGINE DOWN AND THE FIRE SUBSIDED. THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND LANDED AT LBB. DURING THE INVESTIGATION, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE LEFT ENGINE TURBO CHARGER WASTE GATE OIL LINE WAS NOT CONNECTED TO THE WASTE GATE. THE THREADS ON THE FITTING SHOWED NO SIGNS OF DAMAGE. THE THREADS IN THE WASTE GATE BOSS WERE STRIPPED. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF FIRE DAMAGE TO THE NACELLE AREA AROUND THE WASTE GATE AREA AND ACROSS THE TOP OF THE NACELLE TO THE TRAILING EDGE.