# NTSB DFW07CA121: Piper PA-44-180, N255ER, Lubbock, TX, May 24, 2007 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: May 24, 2007, 12:30 local (17:30 UTC) - Place: Lubbock, TX - Coordinates: 33.650833, -101.828887 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.6508&lon=-101.8289&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Taxi](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/250) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report June 27, 2007 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Lubbock, Texas - NTSB case key (mKey): 65853 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DFW07CA121 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/65853/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW07CA121 ## Probable cause The failure of the engine fuel supply line and the separation of the number one cylinder exhaust pipe resulting in an engine fire. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, taxi - to takeoff - Fire, standing - starting engine(s) - fuel system,line - leak (cause) - exhaust system - separation (cause) ## Analysis The 1,730-hour flight instructor and a student pilot performed a normal engine run-up in a twin-engine airplane prior to a local training flight. The run-up did not reveal any anomalies and the airplane was clear to taxi to runway 35L. The right engine lost power while the airplane was holding short to take the active runway. The student pilot attempted to restart the right engine when he noticed "flames coming from the bottom of the engine cowling." The flight instructor and the student pilot exited the airplane through the cabin door without injuries. Airport rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) personnel responded to the aircraft fire and extinguished the fire. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who responded to the scene, reported that the right engine nacelle sustained structural damage as result of the engine fire. Additionally, the inspector found the exhaust stack for the number one cylinder had separated. The inspector also reported that the braided fuel line leaked when the line was pres ## Factual narrative The 1,730-hour flight instructor and a student pilot performed a normal engine run-up in a twin-engine airplane prior to a local training flight. The run-up did not reveal any anomalies and the airplane was clear to taxi to runway 35L. The right engine lost power while the airplane was holding short to take the active runway. The student pilot attempted to restart the right engine when he noticed "flames coming from the bottom of the engine cowling." The flight instructor and the student pilot exited the airplane through the cabin door without injuries. Airport rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) personnel responded to the aircraft fire and extinguished the fire. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who responded to the scene, reported that the right engine nacelle sustained structural damage as result of the engine fire. Additionally, the inspector found the exhaust stack for the number one cylinder had separated. The inspector also reported that the braided fuel line leaked when the line was pressure tested. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N255ER](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N255ER-2012-08-27), registration cancelled 2012-08-27, S/N 44-8195004, built 1980 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-44-180 - Registry model: [Piper PA-44-180](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-44-180) (registry code 7104402) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O&VO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (registry code 41514, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 44-8195004 - Engines: Lycoming O-360-E1A6D 180 horsepower reciprocating; Lycoming LO-360-E1A6D 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Registered owner: William Ebert - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: KLBB, Lubbock, TX - Destination: KTUL, Tulsa, OK - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: LBB, Lubbock Preston Smith Int. ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Flight instructor; age 24; injuries: none; commercial, flight instructor; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, without waivers/limitations; seat: right; flight hours: 1,730 total, 140 in this make and model, 1,440 as pilot in command, 210 in the last 90 days, 155 in the last 30 days, 8 in the last 24 hours - Student pilot; injuries: none ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 40° at 16 knots, gusting 22 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 20,000 ft broken - Temperature: 64 °F, dew point 52 °F - Altimeter: 30.18 inHg - Observed at: LBB ## 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 20070524008149A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20070524008149A), May 24, 2007: Piper PA44180, Lubbock, TX, Substantial damage. (-23) On may 24, 2007, at 1230 CDT, while taxiing for take off on runway 35L at Lubbock International Airport, (klbb), the right engine compartment of N255ER,… 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.