CHI94LA068

Shortly after takeoff, while in a climb to assigned altitude, the propeller began to overspeed. The pilot elected to return to the airport he had just departed. Smoke began to fill the cockpit, and the engine stopped. The pilot made a forced landing in a wooded area. The airplane was consumed by fire after the landing. The investigation found that there was an intense fire in the engine accessory section near the turbocharger. The oil and oil filter had been changed three days before the accident. The only flight the airplane had made since the oil change was a 2 hour flight the morning of the accident. The oil filter is located on the accessory case near the turbocharger.

On January 22, 1994, at 1348 eastern standard time, a PA32RT-300T, N39505, was destroyed when the pilot made a forced landing in a wooded area near Newberry, Michigan. The private, instrument-rated, pilot who was the sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The pilot reported a complete loss of power during the initial climb after takeoff. An instrument flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The personal flight originated at the Luce County Airport, Newberry, and the intended destination was the Riverview Airport, Jenison, Michigan.

The pilot reported the propeller began to overspeed during the climb from Newberry. He reduced power and turned back toward the airport. He stated he began to smell smoke, then the cabin began to fill with smoke. Shortly thereafter the engine lost all power. The pilot made a forced landing in a wooded area. The airplane was destroyed by a postimpact fire.

The engine was examined at the Lycoming Factory, Williamsport, Pennsylvania. There was evidence of an intense fire in the area of the right side of the accessory housing, below the turbocharger. No preexisting discrepancy or malfunction was discovered during the engine examination.

Engine log book entries indicate the engine oil and filter were changed on January 19, 1994. The flight from Jenison to Newberry the morning of the accident was the first flight since the oil change. The oil filter is located on the accessory housing in the vicinity of the turbocharger.