Piper PA-46-310P N9103Q

Summary

On 31 March 2002 at about 16:05 local time, a Piper PA-46-310P registered N9103Q was involved in an accident near South St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 March 2002 at 16:05

Classification

Accident

Location

South St. Paul, Minnesota, United States

Nearest airport

South St. Paul (SGS)

Coordinates

44.8793, -93.0399

Aircraft

Piper PA-46-310P

Registration

N9103Q

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

South St. Paul → Storm Lake

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI02LA099

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to an electrical short of the P-lead, and loose fuel line connection as a result of improper maintenance.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing to a river after it experienced a complete loss of engine power after an engine fire in cruise flight. The pilot reported the preflight and takeoff were normal. He leveled off about 1,100 feet agl in order to stay below Class B airspace. He activated the standby vacuum pump and noted that it was operating properly. About 1-2 seconds after activating the vacuum pump, the alternator annunciator light came on. The two passengers smelled something burning about 2 seconds after the alternator annunciator light came on. The pilot reported that about 2 seconds later the engine lost power abruptly, without any roughness or surging. He decided to make a forced landing to the river. The examination of the engine compartment revealed an area of heat and fire damage near the top of the engine. Bare wires on the P-leads were found in the area of the heat damage. When the magnetos were checked, it was observed that the P-leads were grounded and no electrical current was getting to the magnetos. Further examination of the engine revealed that a B-nut fuel line connector on the fuel line that came from the engine driven fuel pump through the engine baffling was loose. The loose fuel connector was adjacent to the burned area where the P-leads were burned through. The engine logbook indicated that prior to the accident flight, the oil and oil filter had been changed. The standby vacuum pump was also replaced. The fuel line that was found with the loose B-nut was located directly above the standby vacuum pump.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.