# Incident 20160514008909I: Piper PA-23-250, Palm Coast, FL, May 14, 2016

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 14, 2016, 13:31 local time
- Place: Palm Coast, FL
- Airport: Flagler Executive Airport
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.4652° N, 81.2076° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at FLAGLER EXEC (FIN), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.4652&lon=-81.2076&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6588Y, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N6588Y) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-23-250 (registry code 7102308, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-23-250) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-23-250
- Reported engine: LYCOMING TI0-540 SER
- People aboard: 5
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 7,467 total, 5 in this make and model, 121 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160514008909I

## Narrative

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

THE PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC)/CFI STATED THE INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT HAD ORIGINATED AT CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE/LOVELL FIELD AIRPORT (KCHA) WITH THE ORIGINAL DESTINATION OF SPACE COAST REGIONAL AIRPORT, TITUSVILLE, FLORIDA (KTIX).

AS THE FLIGHT PROCEEDED SOUTH AND APPROXIMATELY ABEAM DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA, THE PIC STATED THE LEFT ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH.  THE PIC STATED SHE HAD THEN MADE A DECISION TO DIVERT INTO FLAGLER EXECUTIVE AIRPORT, PALM COAST, FLORIDA (KFIN).

THE PIC STATED THE ROUGH RUNNING LEFT ENGINE EVENTUALLY QUIT.    THE PIC STATED THERE WASN'T ENOUGH TIME TO FEATHER THE PROPELLER; SHE WAS TASK SATURATED AND CONCERNED ONLY WITH GETTING THE AIRCRAFT ON THE GROUND.  NO EMERGENCY WAS DECLARED UNTIL SHORT FINAL.

THE PIC STATED THAT ON SHORT FINAL THE RIGHT ENGINE ALSO QUIT BUT THE AIRCRAFT WAS ABLE GLIDE TO A LANDING "JUST SHORT" OF THE RUNWAY.   THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS ABLE TO COAST TO A STOP OFF THE RUNWAY.

THE PIC STATED SHE DID NOT HAVE MUCH FLIGHT TIME IN THE PA-23-250/AZTEC (5.3 HOURS LOGGED BEFORE THE INCIDENT FLIGHT), AND THAT SHE HAD BEEN "FLYING ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT AIRPLANES LATELY".  THE PIC STATED SHE WAS NOT VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE FUEL SYSTEM OF THE PA-23.

THE PIC HAD MISTAKENLY ASSUMED FUEL TANKS IN THIS AZTEC WERE INTERCONNECTED AS WITH SOME OTHER MODELS BUT IN REALITY THE OUTBOARD TANKS ARE SEPARATE FROM INBOARD TANKS.  THE PIC HAD ATTEMPTED TO MAKE THE ENTIRE FLIGHT FROM CHATTANOOGA USING ONLY THE OUTBOARD TANKS WHICH EVENTUALLY RAN DRY; THE PIC STATED THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH 2 TO 2 1/2 HOURS INTO THE FLIGHT.  THE INBOARD TANKS REMAINED FULL AS NO FUEL WAS EVER USED FROM THEM.

IN HER SIGNED STATEMENT THE PIC STATED "THE CAUSE OF THE ROUGH ENGINE WAS FUEL STARVATION" AND THAT "THIS WAS STRICTLY PILOT ERROR AND TO MY KNOWLEDGE THERE IS NO MECHANICAL FAULT WITH EITHER ENGINE OF N6588Y".

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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