Beechcraft A36 N6677D

Summary

On 25 July 2015 at about 14:40 local time, a Beechcraft A36 registered N6677D was involved in an accident near Poughkeepsie, New York, 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

25 July 2015 at 14:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Poughkeepsie, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Dutchess County Airport (POU)

Coordinates

41.6267, -73.8842

Aircraft

Beechcraft A36

Registration

N6677D

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Poughkeepsie → Burlington

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15LA286

1 person had minor injuries.

A leaking fuel discharge fitting, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power and an off-airport, gear-up landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot landed the airplane at an intermediate airport to refuel before resuming his cross-country flight. After refueling and sumping the tanks, he taxied, performed an engine run-up, checked the magnetos, and cycled the propeller. During takeoff, the pilot noticed a vibration and unusual noise as the airplane rotated. He applied the brakes, as he thought the wheels were rotating and causing the vibration, and retracted the landing gear, but the vibration continued. The engine then lost partial power. He checked that the propeller, throttle, and mixture controls were full forward, but the airplane would not climb. He indicated that, due to the low airspeed, he could not return to the airport, so he pulled back on the control wheel to clear power lines, "forced the nose down" to prevent a stall, and landed gear-up, during which the airplane sustained substantial damage. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of preimpact failures or malfunctions of the airplane or engine. Fuel was observed in both the left and right wing tanks. A postaccident engine test run was performed in a test cell. The engine started normally; accelerated normally without any hesitation, stumbling, or interruption in power; and produced rated horsepower. Testing of the auxiliary fuel pump, which was designed so that fuel would flow through it regardless of whether it was on or off, revealed that although it was operating within specifications, the discharge fitting was leaking, which allowed air into the fuel system. Disassembly of the discharge fitting revealed that it had likely been installed to the proper torque but that there were deep scratches on the O-ring boss on the pump side of the fitting and a piece of metal embedded in the O-ring, which indicates that it had been damaged before or during installation. After the fittings were replaced, no leaks were found.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.