Piper PA 46-350P N80JB

Summary

On 8 May 2011 at about 01:08 local time, a Piper PA 46-350P registered N80JB, operated by Christian Air Brotherhood LLC, was involved in an accident near Chico, Texas, United States. One person was 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

8 May 2011 at 01:08

Classification

Accident

Location

Chico, Texas, United States

Coordinates

33.2910, -97.7897

Aircraft

Piper PA 46-350P

Registration

N80JB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Christian Air Brotherhood LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Worth → Wichita Falls

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

CEN11LA327

Nobody was injured.

The mechanic's improper installation of the turbocharger's exhaust balance system, which resulted in an in-flight fire.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While en route to the destination airport, the pilot noted fluctuation in the engine speed. He diverted to a nearby airport and detected smoke, which increased in intensity. While performing an emergency landing to a highway, the airplane's nose landing gear would not extend. The pilot landed the airplane, which slid to a halt. A postaccident examination revealed thermal distortion to the airplane's nose gear door, which impeded normal operation of the nose landing gear. Clamps on the turbocharger's intermediate exhaust crossover tube were found to be unsecured, which would allow exhaust gases to damage the engine's accessories. The examination also found signatures of thermal distress to the fuel flow transducer and fuel flow transducer line. The unsecured clamps and heat signatures were consistent with exhaust gases compromising the fuel flow transducer line, which resulted in a source of ignition and fuel for the in-flight fire. No additional preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were found that would have precluded normal operation. A review of maintenance logbooks noted that a propeller strike had occurred about 3 months before the accident and that repairs were completed about 1 month later, when the engine, including the turbocharger, was removed, cleaned, and inspected. The airplane had flown about 4 hours since the repair.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.