# Incident 20110225009129I: Piper PA-31-350, Houma, LA, February 25, 2011

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 25, 2011, 07:00 local time
- Place: Houma, LA
- Airport: Houma-Terrebonne
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.5665° N, 90.6604° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at HOUMA-TERREBONNE (HUM), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.5665&lon=-90.6604&mi=10
- Aircraft: N350AA (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-31-350
- Reported engine: LYCOMING TI0-540 SER
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20110225009129I

## Narrative

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

WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH 2,700 MSL FOR 6,000 MSL, PILOT HEARD THE LEFT ENGINE MAKE AN UNUSUAL NOISE, WITH CORRESPONDING DECREASE IN LEFT ENGINE MANIFOLD PRESSURE. A VISUAL CHECK OF THE LEFT ENGINE REVEALED OIL POURING OUT OF THE ENGINE COWLING, FOLLOWED SHORTLY BY A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COWLING. THE PILOT SHUT DOWN THE LEFT ENGINE AND FEATHERED THE LEFT PROPELLER. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE FIRE EXTINGUISHED. THE FLIGHT LANDED BACK AT HUM WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. POST INCIDENT TEARDOWN OF ENGINE REVEALED THAT ENGINE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY THE FAILURE OF A COUNTERWEIGHT PLATE, PART NUMBER 71907.

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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