- Date
- August 8, 1992, 11:24 local (15:24 UTC)
- Place
- Baltimore, MD
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N6384CPiper PA-28R-201
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920808029889A
- Case key
- 37197
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
A power loss due to fuel starvation from a faulty rubber seal in the mechanical fuel pump while operating over unsuitable terrain. An additional cause was the use of inadequate standards for the production of the rubber seal.
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
The pilot experienced a power loss after takeoff at an altitude of 300 feet and ditched in the water. The investigation revealed a loose rubber seal in the mechanical fuel pump which blocked fuel flow out of the pump. The engineering drawing for the seal lacked an astm specification which covers the production of the rubber including the curing. The investigation found that when seals produced from rubber without this astm specification were exposed to aviation gasoline, they would swell. With sufficient exposure to gasoline, the seal will come unseated and float into the exhaust side of the pump, restricting fuel flow to the engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6384C
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-201
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7837164
- Airframe hours
- 3,870
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1C6, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Warner E. Mc Adam
- Registered owner
- Warner E. Mc Adam
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1991 · 124 hours before
- Destination
- RKD · Rockland, ME
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MTN · Martin State, runway 14, 6,996 × 180 ft, concrete
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
- 55
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,369 total · 250 in this make and model · 34 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MTN, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.