Piper PA22 N3659Z

Summary

On 28 January 2017 at about 19:00 local time, a Piper PA22 registered N3659Z was involved in an accident near Georgetown, Delaware, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 January 2017 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Georgetown, Delaware, United States

Nearest airport

Delaware Coastal (GED)

Coordinates

38.6875, -75.3592

Aircraft

Piper PA22

Registration

N3659Z

Category

Airplane

Year built

1960

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Georgetown → Lusby

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17LA097

1 person had minor injuries.

An in-flight fire for reasons that could not be determined due to extensive thermal damage to the airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the private pilot, shortly after takeoff, as the airplane reached 1,400 ft, he noticed "thick" smoke coming from behind the instrument panel and then the glareshield, followed by flames near his feet and legs. The pilot was able to return to the departure airport and land successfully. During the subsequent landing roll, the pilot reduced the throttle and mixture to shut down the engine and pulled the brake handle; however, the airplane did not slow, and he egressed the airplane while it was in motion. The airplane came to rest in a grass area right of the runway and was mostly consumed by fire. The pilot's description of the onset and growth of the fire was consistent with a fast-growing fire such as a fire fed by liquid fuel. Examination of the wreckage revealed that several sections of the fuel system were consumed or damaged by fire. The main fuel line from the fuel strainer to the carburetor was found loose on the carburetor side. The lower left portion of the engine cowling exhibited more thermal damage than the right side, which is consistent with the location of the loose fuel line supplying the carburetor; however, due to the extent of the thermal damage, the origination point of the in-flight fire could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.