- Date
- April 30, 1982, 15:50 local (20:50 UTC)
- Place
- Enterprise, AL
- Injuries
- 7 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N53RTPiper PA-31-350
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 30, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820430037599I
- Case key
- 70605
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Shortly after liftoff, the pilot felt the aircraft yaw left and noticed that the left engine manifold pressure had dropped from 42" hg to 29" hg. He analysed a turbocharger failure and elected to keep the engine running in the normallyaspirated mode. At approximately 400' the pilot saw smoke and fire coming from the right side of the engine. He secured and feathered the engine and made a single engine landing. Subsequent examination revealed the right side common exhaustpipe from the #1,3 and 5 cylinders to the turbo had separated. This separation allowed hot exhaust gases to impinge on the engine compartment and burn through the cowl and several wires. It was determined that the detached part had been replaced 1.5 hours prior to the incident. Investigation revealed that a wrong replacement part was used which was shorter than the required part. Installation was possible due to overlapping exhaust tube slip joints. Poor organizationand numbering of parts catalogs was cited by the maintenence facility as contributing to the installation error.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N53RT
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-7952197
- Airframe hours
- 1,309
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-J28D, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Huntsville Aviation
- Registered owner
- Huntsville Aviation
- Departed
- 93J · Enterprise, AL
- Destination
- 93J · Enterprise, AL
- Airport
- 93J · Enterprise Municipal, runway 5, 3,500 × 80 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 63
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 22,000 total · 1,825 in this make and model · 21,910 as pilot in command · 89 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 45° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Observed at
- Y
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.