- Date
- September 7, 2020, 08:10 local (13:10 UTC)
- Place
- Bonham, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3576XPiper PA32R
- Defining event
- Enroute-climb to cruise: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200907016649A
- Case key
- 101924
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The loss of engine power due to a disconnected fuel injector line that was not properly tightened during recent maintenance.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
According to the pilot, he and a passenger departed on a personal flight. The airplane was on its first flight after maintenance work, which included the replacement of the engine exhaust. Shortly after departure, the pilot noted high turbine inlet and cylinder head temperatures. The pilot tried to return to the airport; however, about 2 miles short of the airport, the engine experienced a total loss of power. During the forced landing the landing gear collapsed in the soft terrain which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. An engine examination found that the No. 6 cylinder fuel injector line was not connected. It was also noted that initially the turbocharge was not free to rotate, but once freed it rotated without resistance. The accident is consistent with a loss of engine power due to a fuel injector line not being connected. This is likely due to maintenance personnel not adequately tightening the No. 6 cylinder fuel injector line during the recent maintenance.
Factual narrative
On September 7, 2020, about 0810 central daylight time, a Piper PA-32R airplane, N3576X, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Bonham, Texas. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, the airplane was on its first flight after maintenance work was completed, which included the replacement of the engine exhaust. Shortly after departure, the pilot noted high turbine inlet and cylinder head temperatures. The pilot then decided to return to the airport; however, about 2 miles short of the airport, the engine lost total power. During the forced landing, the landing gear collapsed in the soft terrain, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. An engine examination was conducted by the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. The examination found that the No. 6 cylinder fuel injector line was not connected. It was also noted that initially the turbocharger was not free to rotate, but once freed, it rotated without resistance.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3576X
- Reported as
- Piper PA32R (301T)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-8029035
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 3,284
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- 4D Aviation LLC
- Registered owner
- 4D Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 15, 2019
- Departed
- F00 · Bonham, TX
- Destination
- 2F7 · Commerce, TX
- Airport
- F00
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display, Satellite tracking device, Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 30, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 105 total · 25 in this make and model · 75 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 0.5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 22, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.6 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.