Piper PA-23-150 CFJXG

Summary

On 16 November 1998 at about 00:15 local time, a Piper PA-23-150 registered CFJXG was involved in an accident near Ferndale, Washington, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 November 1998 at 00:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Ferndale, Washington, United States

Coordinates

48.8597, -122.6300

Aircraft

Piper PA-23-150

Registration

CFJXG

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Boundary Bay → Bellingham

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA99FA015

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's improper decision to attempt to reach his final destination after a partial loss of engine power, instead of making a precautionary landing at one of the airports he overflew along his route. Factors include an inadequate preflight, a fuel filter flow restriction leading to fuel starvation, the decision to land with the gear retracted, and soft, wet terrain at the location where the forced landing was attempted.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

While en route at 2,200 feet msl, the pilot noticed a gradual loss of power in the right engine. Soon thereafter, the right engine power settled back to about 1,400 rpm. While the pilot was trying to find out what was wrong with the engine, the aircraft's cabin door popped open. Instead of making a precautionary landing at one of the airports he passed en route, the pilot attempted to continue on to his ultimate destination. Because he was having trouble holding altitude with the door partially open and the right engine at 1,400 rpm, the pilot elected to shut down the right engine. After shutting down the engine, it became obvious to the pilot that he could not make it to the airport, so he elected to land in a nearby field. While attempting an intentional gear-up on the soft, wet terrain, the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The investigation revealed that the aircraft had not flown for nearly 13 years prior to the day of the accident, and that even after seeing a thick, gooey, white substance flow out of the right fuel sump drain, the pilot did not examine the fuel system further. The loss of power was ultimately determined to have resulted from the accumulation of solid contaminants in the carburetor finger screen, resulting in a substantial restriction of the fuel flow to the cylinders.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.