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20190713011489I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Beech E-55 · Sarasota, FL · July 13, 2019

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 13, 2019 · 15:15 local
Place
Sarasota, FL
Airport
Sarasota/Bradenton International
Phase of flight
Taxi
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N252DP
Reported as
Beech E-55
Reported engine
Continental IO-520 series
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
703 total
N252DPRegistered now · Beech E-55S/N TE-932 · Built 1973Airframe modelBeech E-55Engine modelContinental IO-520 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.

On 13 July 24, 2019 the aircraft was being operated by a flight instructor performing multiple ?full stop, taxi and takeoff? Maneuvers. While waiting at the hold short line the left engine failed. Restarting of the engine was attempted 3 times without success. At that time, the pilot requested taxi back to the ramp. While taxiing smoke was noticed coming from the left engine. ARFF responded, the fire extinguished and the aircraft was towed back to the operator?s ramp. Subsequent inspection of the engine compartment showed fire damage that exceeded the damage that would be caused by an overheated starter or electrical fire. The upper cowling showed signs of fire damage forward and aft of the rear vertical baffle assembly. The entire area aft of the baffle is covered in soot. The damage to the upper cowling was located above the starter (aft) and above the aftermarket fuel flow transducer installed via STC for digital fuel flow gauges (forward). This fuel flow transducer interferes with the removal and replacement of the magnetos, which occurred on 11 July 2019. The operator stated it is necessary to remove the transducer to facilitate the magneto maintenance. Fire damage to the magnetos, plug wires and fire sleeve around the fuel line indicates a fire also occurred in the area of the fuel flow transducer. Aft of the baffle most of the rubber components are melted due to excessive heat, the insulation on most of the wiring has been burned off and the fuel line fire sleeve is missing. The fuel line is routed next to the starter. Fire damage is apparent the entire length of the fuel line in the engine compartment.

As the FAA filed it

ON 13 JULY 24, 2019 THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED BY A FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR PERFORMING MULTIPLE ?FULL STOP, TAXI AND TAKEOFF? MANEUVERS. WHILE WAITING AT THE HOLD SHORT LINE THE LEFT ENGINE FAILED. RESTARTING OF THE ENGINE WAS ATTEMPTED 3 TIMES WITHOUT SUCCESS. AT THAT TIME, THE PILOT REQUESTED TAXI BACK TO THE RAMP. WHILE TAXIING SMOKE WAS NOTICED COMING FROM THE LEFT ENGINE. ARFF RESPONDED, THE FIRE EXTINGUISHED AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOWED BACK TO THE OPERATOR?S RAMP. SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT SHOWED FIRE DAMAGE THAT EXCEEDED THE DAMAGE THAT WOULD BE CAUSED BY AN OVERHEATED STARTER OR ELECTRICAL FIRE. THE UPPER COWLING SHOWED SIGNS OF FIRE DAMAGE FORWARD AND AFT OF THE REAR VERTICAL BAFFLE ASSEMBLY. THE ENTIRE AREA AFT OF THE BAFFLE IS COVERED IN SOOT. THE DAMAGE TO THE UPPER COWLING WAS LOCATED ABOVE THE STARTER (AFT) AND ABOVE THE AFTERMARKET FUEL FLOW TRANSDUCER INSTALLED VIA STC FOR DIGITAL FUEL FLOW GAUGES (FORWARD). THIS FUEL FLOW TRANSDUCER INTERFERES WITH THE REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF THE MAGNETOS, WHICH OCCURRED ON 11 JULY 2019. THE OPERATOR STATED IT IS NECESSARY TO REMOVE THE TRANSDUCER TO FACILITATE THE MAGNETO MAINTENANCE. FIRE DAMAGE TO THE MAGNETOS, PLUG WIRES AND FIRE SLEEVE AROUND THE FUEL LINE INDICATES A FIRE ALSO OCCURRED IN THE AREA OF THE FUEL FLOW TRANSDUCER. AFT OF THE BAFFLE MOST OF THE RUBBER COMPONENTS ARE MELTED DUE TO EXCESSIVE HEAT, THE INSULATION ON MOST OF THE WIRING HAS BEEN BURNED OFF AND THE FUEL LINE FIRE SLEEVE IS MISSING. THE FUEL LINE IS ROUTED NEXT TO THE STARTER. FIRE DAMAGE IS APPARENT THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE FUEL LINE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.