# NTSB CEN12LA512: Piper PA-30, N8121Y, Bragg City, MO, July 29, 2012 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 29, 2012, 11:23 local (16:23 UTC) - Place: Bragg City, MO - Coordinates: 36.266944, -89.910003 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.2669&lon=-89.9100&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 6, 2013 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 84560 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN12LA512 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/84560/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=84560 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN12LA512 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to properly tighten the b-nut from the engine-driven fuel pump to the fuel-metering unit during maintenance, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Maintenance: installation](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02062035): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-30, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02062035/cases.md?model=7103002), [All aircraft, 371 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02062035/cases.md) - [Fuel system](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01022800): Aircraft › Aircraft systems · Incorrect service/maintenance (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-30, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01022800/cases.md?model=7103002), [All aircraft, 181 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01022800/cases.md) - [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Fluid management (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-30, 14 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md?model=7103002), [All aircraft, 1,695 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event); cases with it: [Piper PA-30, 11 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=7103002), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md) - [Emergency descent: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440); cases with it: [Piper PA-30, 8 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md?model=7103002), [All aircraft, 3,365 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot said that the airplane's right engine stopped producing power in flight and that he was unable to maintain altitude. The pilot made a forced landing to a field with the landing gear up, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the right engine revealed that the b-nut from the engine-driven fuel pump to the fuel-metering unit was loose and leaking fuel. The pilot, who owned and maintained the airplane, had completed an annual inspection of the airplane about 10 flight hours before the accident occurred. He had also recently overhauled the airplane's entire fuel system. No other mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation were noted. ## Factual narrative On July 29, 2012, at 1123 central daylight time (all times are converted to central daylight time), N8121Y, a Piper PA-30 twin engine airplane, sustained substantial damage when it made a forced landing to a field after a total loss of engine power to the right engine. The certified private pilot and the passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. No flight plan was filed for the flight that originated at Tri-State Airport/Milton J. Ferguson Field (HTS), Huntington, West Virginia, about 0744, and destined for Kennett Memorial Airport (TKX), Kennett, Missouri. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot said that he departed West Virgina with full fuel tanks. The flight was uneventful until the airplane suddenly yawed to the right approximately 15 miles from TKX. The pilot confirmed that the right engine had stopped operating. He tried to restart the engine but it only ran for 20-30 seconds. The pilot feathered the right propeller but the airplane would not maintain altitude. Once the pilot realized he would not reach the airport, he prepared for a forced landing and tried to re-start the engine one more time, but it did not start. However, the propeller did unfeather during the attempted engine restart. The pilot landed gear-up in a cultivated field and the airplane slid for several hundred yards before coming to rest upright, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. Two Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) inspectors performed an on-scene examination of the airplane. The examination revealed the b-nut from the engine-driven fuel pump to the fuel-metering unit on the right engine was loose and leaking fuel. A review of the engine maintenance logbooks indicated the pilot/owner, who was also an FAA certified airframe and mechanic, had completed an annual inspection approximately 10 hours before the accident. He had also recently overhauled the airplane's entire fuel system. No other mechanical anomalies were noted with the engine. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N8121Y](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8121Y-2015-04-30), registration cancelled 2015-04-30, S/N 30-1231, built 1966 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-30 - Registry model: [Piper PA-30](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-30) (registry code 7103002) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming IO-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-320-series) (registry code 41509, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 30-1231 - Airframe hours: 2175 - Engines: LYCOMING IO-320 SERIES 150 horsepower reciprocating; LYCOMING IO-320 SERIES 150 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Clark David R - Registered owner: Clark David R - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special); Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, July 5, 2012, 10 hours before - Departed: HTS, Huntington, WV - Destination: TKX, Kennett, MO - Flight plan: Unknown - Airport: None ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 69; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; last flight review July 6, 2012; seat: left; flight hours: 2,040 total, 1,392 in this make and model, 1,926 as pilot in command, 10 in the last 90 days, 10 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 110° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 12,000 ft overcast - Temperature: 93 °F, dew point 72 °F - Altimeter: 30.09 inHg - Observed at: MAW, 17 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20120729017019A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120729017019A), Jul 29, 2012: Piper PA-30, Bragg City, MO, Substantial damage. On Sunday, July 29, 2012, N8121Y, a Piper PA-30, serial number, 30-1231 was en route from huntington tri-state airport (khts) to grand prairie municipal… ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 27, 2013, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=84560. 2.7 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 2.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40397754&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Record of Conversation - FAA Inspector (item 2, .PDF, 61 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40397743&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Record%20of%20Conversation%20-%20FAA%20Inspector-Master.PDF - Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 (item 3, .PDF, 51 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40397757&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Release%20of%20Aircraft%20Wreckage,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.15-Redacted.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.