# NTSB NYC01IA126: Piper PA-31-350, N4078L, Newark, OH, April 20, 2001 - Type: NTSB incident investigation - Classification: Incident · No injuries · Incident investigation · Final report - Date: April 20, 2001, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC) - Place: Newark, OH - Coordinates: 40.059619, -82.419662 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.0596&lon=-82.4197&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Taxi](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/250) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 6, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA FSDO-25 - NTSB case key (mKey): 52273 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC01IA126 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/52273/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC01IA126 ## Probable cause The company maintenance personnel's failure to comply with the service bulletin, which resulted in a fuel boost pump leakage and subsequent fire during taxi. A factor was the manufacturer's confusing service bulletin. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Fire, taxi - from landing - maintenance,service bulletin/letter - not complied with, company maintenance personnel (cause) - fuel system,electric boost pump - leak - maintenance,service bulletin/letter - confusing, manufacturer (contributing factor) ## Analysis After landing, while taxing back to the ramp area, the pilot observed a fire in the left engine. He secured the engine and evacuated the airplane. Examination of the engine revealed that the fuel boost pump was leaking. At the time, the pump manufacturer had a service bulletin to inspect, and retorque if necessary, four screws that secured the pump valve assembly. Examination and testing of the pump at the manufacturer's facility revealed that the wrong set of four screws had been torqued. Discussions between the pump manufacturer and airplane operator revealed that there was some ambiguity in the current service bulletin, and the maintenance personnel were confused at to which four screws the bulletin referred to. Subsequently, the pump manufacturer revised the service bulletin. ## Factual narrative On April 20, 2001, about 1300 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-31-350, N4078L, sustained minor damage while taxing at Newark-Heath Airport (VTA), Newark, Ohio. The certificated commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that originated from Fort Wayne, Indiana. An instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the air taxi flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 135. The pilot reported that after landing, while taxing to the ramp area, a fire was observed in the left engine. The pilot secured the engine, and then he and the passenger evacuated the airplane. Witnesses extinguished the fire with a handheld fire extinguisher. Examination of the engine by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed a leak in the left engine fuel boost pump. The pump (Lear Romec model RG9080J7A) was sent to the manufacturer for further examination. Testing at the Lear Romec facility revealed that four screws, which secured the pump valve assembly, were not properly torqued. Discussion between representatives at Lear Romec and the airplane operator revealed that there was some confusion among the operator's maintenance personnel about Lear Romec Service Bulletin 101SB020 Rev. 2. According to the service bulletin, the torque of the four screws that secured the pump valve assembly should be verified, and retorqued if necessary, at certain time intervals. However, there was another set of four screws that secured the pump housing cover, in addition to the four screws that secured the valve assembly. The testing at the Lear Romec facility indicated that the wrong set of screws had been torqued. After testing the fuel boost pump and the discussion with the operator, Lear Romec issued Service Bulletin 101SB020 Rev. 3, which clarified the correct screws to torque. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N4078L](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4078L-2002-07-30), registration cancelled 2002-07-30, S/N 31-8152060, built 1980 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-31-350 - Registry model: [Piper PA-31-350](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-31-350) (registry code 7103110) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming TI0-540 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (registry code 41533, turbo-prop) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: PA31-81520060 - Airframe hours: 10334 - Engines: Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD 350 horsepower reciprocating; Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD 350 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Minor damage - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Part 135 - Registered owner: Crow Executive Air - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Continuous airworthiness, February 28, 2001, 48 hours before - Departed: FWA, Fort Wayne, IA - Destination: VTA, Newark, OH - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: VTA, Newark-Heath Airport, runway 09, 4,649 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 25; injuries: none; commercial, flight instructor; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review July 1, 2000; seat: left; flight hours: 1,976 total, 227 in this make and model, 1,768 as pilot in command, 145 in the last 90 days, 68 in the last 30 days, 2 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Instrument (IMC), Day - Wind: 160° at 7 knots - Visibility: 2 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 600 ft broken - Temperature: 46 °F, dew point 45 °F - Altimeter: 30.12 inHg - Observed at: VTA ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Incident 20010420012319I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010420012319I), Apr 20, 2001: Piper PA31350, Newark, OH, Minor damage. (-23) On April 20, 2001, at approximately 1400 EDT, during landing rollout at Newark-Heath Airport, (vta) Heath, OH, on a flight conducted under 14 CFR part… 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.