20160407003509I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-31-350 · Hagerstown, MD · April 7, 2016

Date: April 7, 2016 · 08:20 local
Place: Hagerstown, MD
Airport: Hagerstown Regional Airport
Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: ITJA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N45038
Reported as: Piper PA-31-350
Reported engine: Lycoming TI0-540-J2BD
People aboard: 7
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 21,100 total1,050 in this make and model192 in the last 90 days

N45038Registration cancelled Oct 3, 2016 · Piper PA-31-350S/N 31-8052202 · Built 1980 Airframe modelPiper PA-31-350 Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

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.

At about 9 mile final pilot felt shudder and a slight left to right turn in the aircraft. Immediately after the shudder he stated that the prop pitch sounded different. The pilot looked at the left engine and noticed a flame coming from the engine cowling. The pilot immediately reduced power to the engine and feathered the prop. Once the pilot feathered the prop and shut the engine down the fire appeared to go out. He continued the landing without incident.

As the FAA filed it

AT ABOUT 9 MILE FINAL PILOT FELT SHUDDER AND A SLIGHT LEFT TO RIGHT TURN IN THE AIRCRAFT. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SHUDDER HE STATED THAT THE PROP PITCH SOUNDED DIFFERENT. THE PILOT LOOKED AT THE LEFT ENGINE AND NOTICED A FLAME COMING FROM THE ENGINE COWLING. THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY REDUCED POWER TO THE ENGINE AND FEATHERED THE PROP. ONCE THE PILOT FEATHERED THE PROP AND SHUT THE ENGINE DOWN THE FIRE APPEARED TO GO OUT. HE CONTINUED THE LANDING WITHOUT INCIDENT.