Piper PA-34-200 N15120

Summary

On 18 July 2001 at about 15:43 local time, a Piper PA-34-200 registered N15120 was involved in an accident near Chandler, Arizona, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 July 2001 at 15:43

Classification

Accident

Location

Chandler, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Chandler Municipal (CHD)

Coordinates

33.2396, -111.7806

Aircraft

Piper PA-34-200

Registration

N15120

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chandler → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dawn

NTSB number

LAX01LA250

1 person had minor injuries.

The failure of maintenance personnel to properly tighten a fuel line fitting during an engine installation resulting in a fuel leak and fire during the maintenance checkflight. A factor in the accident was inadequate inspection of the installation prior to return to service.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A fire erupted in the right engine nacelle during a maintenance check flight following replacement of the engine. The pilot shutoff the engine and feathered the propeller; however, before he could complete the emergency checklist, black smoke began entering the cockpit via a fresh air vent in the leading edge of the wing near the nacelle. The visibility in the cockpit dropped to about 1 foot and the pilot couldn't see outside, or the instrument panel, or any controls. He declared an emergency and opened the pilot's window. He instructed his passenger to crack open the main door; however, his passenger couldn't find the door handles in the dense smoke. After a period of time he got the door cracked open and the smoke cleared. At that point they were down to 300 or 400 feet agl, and he identified an open field in which an emergency landing was made. Examination of the right-hand engine revealed it was mechanically intact; however, a hose-end "B-nut" at the inlet to the engine driven fuel pump exhibited an unusual number of exposed threads. The B-nut was loose and required 1 1/8 turns to finger-tighten and 1 1/4 turns to snug tighten with a wrench. When the B-nut was unscrewed from the fitting, the threads of the fitting and the B-nut itself did not exhibit any cracks or stripped threads. No other mechanical anomalies were found.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.