Piper PA-32R-301T N1060X

Summary

On 4 February 2010 at about 22:00 local time, a Piper PA-32R-301T registered N1060X was involved in an accident near Dolan Springs, Arizona, United States. 2 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

4 February 2010 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Dolan Springs, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

35.6978, -114.0806

Aircraft

Piper PA-32R-301T

Registration

N1060X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Saint George → Kingman

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR10LA128

Nobody was injured.

The fuel flow divider inlet line nut coming loose during cruise flight, resulting in a fuel leak and in-flight fire. The root cause of the loose B-nut fitting could not be determined. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to fly the airplane with a known deficiency.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot/owner reported that about 30 minutes into the flight, he began to smell fuel. A short time later, the smell became stronger and was accompanied by a sensation of deceleration with no corresponding engine roughness. He immediately initiated an emergency descent and landed in a dry lake bed. During the landing flare, smoke began to stream from the front of the airplane, and after landing the fuselage was consumed by fire. Examination of the fuel inlet line which connects the fuel servo to the fuel flow divider revealed that it was approximately 1 1/2 turns loose at the 'B' nut fitting at the fuel flow divider. Fueling records indicated that at minimum, the airplane had flown 25 to 40 hours since the annual inspection, which was completed 5 months prior to the accident. The mechanic who performed the annual inspection specifically recalled verifying that the 'B' nut fitting was secure. The pilot reported that prior to the annual inspection the airplane had not been producing full power at takeoff. According to the pilot the deficiency was not resolved during the inspection, or on subsequent return trips to the maintenance facility. The pilot continued to fly the airplane with the discrepancy.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.