Cessna 208 N978FE

Summary

On 19 October 2005 at about 04:15 local time, a Cessna 208 registered N978FE, operated by Baron Aviation Services, was involved in an accident near Round Rock, Texas, United States. One person was 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

19 October 2005 at 04:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Round Rock, Texas, United States

Coordinates

30.5100, -97.6704

Aircraft

Cessna 208

Registration

N978FE

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Baron Aviation Services

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Austin → Fort Worth

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

DFW06LA010

1 person had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power due to the failure of the engine-driven fuel pump. A contributing factor was the inadequate inspection of the engine driven fuel pump.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was fueled with 65-gallons of jet-A in preparation for the evening's flight. The 6,600-hour pilot stated that no abnormalities were noted during the engine start, and takeoff. However; shortly after departure, and after the pilot had leveled off at 7,000-feet, he reported to air traffic control that he had an engine failure and a total power loss. During the descent, the pilot attempted both an air and battery engine restart, but was not successful. The inspection on the engine was conducted on November 30, 2005. The accessory gearbox had a reddish-brown stain visible beneath the fuel pump/fuel control unit. The accessory gearbox was turned; rotation of the drive splines in the fuel pump (splines for the fuel control unit) was not observed. The fuel pump unit was then removed, the area between the fuel pump and accessory gearbox was stained with a reddish brown color. The fuel pump drive splines were worn. Additionally, the internal splines on the fuel pump drive coupling were worn. The wear on the spline drive and coupling prevented full engagement of the spline drives. Both pieces had evidence of fretting, with a reddish brown material present. The airplane had approximately 130 hours since a maintenance inspection (which included inspection of the fuel pump). The engine had accumulated approximately a total time of 9,852 hours, with 5,574 hours since overhaul.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.