- Date
- April 8, 1990, 12:40 local (16:40 UTC)
- Place
- Bedford, MA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N363CCPiper PA-32R-301T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900408007599A
- Case key
- 36624
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
Failure of the exhaust system and subsequent melting/shorting of the magneto p-leads.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
A Piper PA-32-301T was on climb out from Bedford, at an altitude of about 600 feet AGL when the engine stopped running. The pilot made an emergency landing on a taxiway and landed hard, collapsing the landing gear. Examination of the engine showed the exhaust intermediate pipe flange failed and separated from the crossover pipe. Hot gases melted the insulation on the 'p' leads of the magneto shorting it out. The exhaust intermediate pipe and the crossover pipe were improperly installed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N363CC
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32R-301T (PA-32R-301)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R8029071
- Airframe hours
- 1,477
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-S1A, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Randal L.Briggs
- Registered owner
- R. Briggs/E. Walter/B. Shulman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 21, 1989 · 219 hours before
- Destination
- BTV · Burlington, VT
- Airport
- BED · Bedford, runway 29, 7,001 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 47
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,600 total · 150 in this make and model · 1,970 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 13 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.