Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
Improper maintenance and inspection of the airplane by other maintenance personnel, and their failure to install the fuel line support after maintenance had been completed, which resulted in the introduction of vibrational loads and the in-flight separation of the fuel line from the fuel flow transmitter, fuel starvation, the subsequent loss of engine power, an emergency descent/ landing, and damage to the airplane during the off airport landing.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On December 15, 2002, about 1114 eastern standard time, a Beech A-36, N12MB, registered to a private individual, and operated as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed in Laurens, South Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The private-rated pilot and three passengers were not injured, and the airplane incurred substantial damage. The flight originated in Greer, South Carolina, the same day, about 1100.
The pilot stated that he had been in contact with FAA Greenville Spartanburg Departure Control, and was cleared to climb to an altitude of 7,000 feet. Upon reaching 7,000 feet, he said he leveled the airplane, when all of a sudden he felt a slight bump, and the engine immediately lost all power. He performed emergency procedures, but the engine did not regain power. While performing emergency procedures, he said he noticed fuel streaming from the area of the cowling, aft toward the windshield, so he committed himself to making a forced landing. The pilot executed a forced landing in an area of low pine trees and the airplane incurred substantial damage.
The FAA inspector stated that upon examination of the engine, it was discovered that the stainless steel fuel line at the front top side of the engine had separated from the fuel flow transmitter. The inspector said that the separation was consistent with the pilot's report of the loss of engine power, and fuel streaming out the top of the couling. According to the inspector, the fitting on the fuel flow transmitter showed signs of fretting, and had been cracked, allowing fuel pressure to cause the hose to back off the o-ringed nipple. In addition, the inspector said that the support standoff that attaches the fuel line to the top alternator mount so as to provide support for the fuel line, was not attached, and had been subject to vibration loads, which caused the fitting to separate from the fuel flow transmitter.
Maintenance records indicate that the alternator had been replaced by a maintenance facility 26.6 hours prior to the accident.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# MIA03LA028