Piper PA-28-140 N3454K

Summary

On 8 June 2006 at about 17:27 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N3454K, operated by Arthur Quinn, was involved in an accident near Nashville, Tennessee, 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

8 June 2006 at 17:27

Classification

Accident

Location

Nashville, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Cornelia Fort Airpark (M88)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N3454K

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Arthur Quinn

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Smithville → Nashville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL06LA090

1 person had minor injuries.

Improper installation of the fuel line by maintenance personnel which resulted in the fuel line disconnecting and a loss of engine power during approach.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, the airplane was topped with fuel before a 30-minute local flight on June 4, 2006. On June 8th, the day of the accident, the airplane departed the Cornelia Fort Airpark for Smithville, Tennessee, a distance of 45 nautical miles. After a brief time on the ground in Smithville the airplane departed for the return trip to Cornelia Fort Airpark. The pilot reported that on takeoff he smelled fuel but that the smell dissipated after he leveled off. About 20 minutes into the flight the smell of fuel returned and that the fuel pressure began to drop. The pilot switched to the left tank and the fuel smell subsided and the fuel pressure stabilized. As the airplane neared the destination airport the fuel pressure began to drop again. The engine lost power while the airplane was on a downwind leg for runway 04. The pilot switched fuel tanks again but was unable to get the engine restarted. The pilot made an off-airport landing in dense brush and small trees short of the runway. Examination of the engine found the outlet fuel line from the engine-driven fuel pump to the carburetor disconnected at the fuel pump fitting. Fresh insect debris was found in the line and evidence indicated it entered the line after the accident and prior to examination. The debris was cleared from the line and the line was reconnected. The engine was primed and started. The engine started immediately and was run at 1,200 RPM for a few minutes before being shut down. The engine had been modified to deliver 160 HP and at that time had the fuel flow transducer installed in the fuel line between the fuel pump and carburetor. The aircraft had flown 49.5 hours since the modification which was done during the last annual inspection on September 5, 2005.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.