20130928019389I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-161 · Bedford, MA · September 28, 2013

Date: September 28, 2013 · 09:30 local
Place: Bedford, MA
Airport: Laurence G Hanscom Fld
Phase of flight: Ground/Ramp/Ma
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N28381
Reported as: Piper PA-28-161
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,200 total50 in this make and model30 in the last 90 days

N28381Registered now · Piper PA-28-161S/N 28-7916408 · Built 1979 Airframe modelPiper PA-28-161 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

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.

Instructor and ast. Chief instructor were conducting annual proficiency check. After about 0.7 hours of flight time in the practice area, they returned to the airport for practice landings. On roll-out of the first landing, a planned stop & go, the engine quit with the aircraft on the runway about 2,000 past the threshold. The instructors tried to restart using the warm-engine procedures, and noticed white billowing smoke coming from the cowling, primarily the forward portion of the right side of the cowling. This was immediately followed by darker smoke and flames. The instructors called ATC, advising they were on fire and evacuating the aircraft. They evacuated the aircraft and proceeded away from the runway center line and awaited fire & rescue, who extinguished the fire. Subsequent investigation shows that there was a large amount of fuel in the carburetor box and lower cowling and that it was likely that the carburetor needle valve was stuck open.

As the FAA filed it

INSTRUCTOR AND AST. CHIEF INSTRUCTOR WERE CONDUCTING ANNUAL PROFICIENCY CHECK. AFTER ABOUT 0.7 HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME IN THE PRACTICE AREA, THEY RETURNED TO THE AIRPORT FOR PRACTICE LANDINGS. ON ROLL-OUT OF THE FIRST LANDING, A PLANNED STOP & GO, THE ENGINE QUIT WITH THE AIRCRAFT ON THE RUNWAY ABOUT 2,000 PAST THE THRESHOLD. THE INSTRUCTORS TRIED TO RESTART USING THE WARM-ENGINE PROCEDURES, AND NOTICED WHITE BILLOWING SMOKE COMING FROM THE COWLING, PRIMARILY THE FORWARD PORTION OF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE COWLING. THIS WAS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY DARKER SMOKE AND FLAMES. THE INSTRUCTORS CALLED ATC, ADVISING THEY WERE ON FIRE AND EVACUATING THE AIRCRAFT. THEY EVACUATED THE AIRCRAFT AND PROCEEDED AWAY FROM THE RUNWAY CENTER LINE AND AWAITED FIRE & RESCUE, WHO EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION SHOWS THAT THERE WAS A LARGE AMOUNT OF FUEL IN THE CARBURETOR BOX AND LOWER COWLING AND THAT IT WAS LIKELY THAT THE CARBURETOR NEEDLE VALVE WAS STUCK OPEN.