ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 173167
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| Date: | Wednesday 21 January 2015 |
| Time: | 07:54 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain |
| Owner/operator: | Key Lime Air |
| Registration: | N66906 |
| MSN: | 31-7405197 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1974 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 19082 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 10 miles West of Goodland, Kansas -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Cargo |
| Departure airport: | Denver, CO (DEN) |
| Colby, KS (CBK) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The commercial pilot was conducting a cargo flight in the airplane. The operator reported that, during taxi and takeoff, the pilot noted no issues with the airplane. During cruise flight, the left engine lost total power. The right engine then also lost total power, but the pilot failed to complete any of the required engine failure emergency procedures. He chose to perform a forced landing, during which the airplane impacted power lines and then a field, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane.
On-scene examination revealed that there was no apparent fuel smell nor fuel on the ground. During postaccident examination of the airplane, no useable fuel was found in the left and right outboard fuel tanks; however, 35 gallons of fuel were found in each of the two inboard fuel tanks. The fuel selectors were found in the “off” position. Further examination of the fuel system revealed that there was no fuel in the fuel lines leading to the left engine and that only about 2 teaspoons of fuel was present in the fuel inlet line to the right engine fuel strainer, indicating that the pilot had not properly managed the fuel, which led to fuel starvation to both engines. The examination revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Further, postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the pilot had not feathered both propellers, which would have increased the airplane’s glide distance, and that he had not extended the flaps, which would have resulted in a slower touchdown speed and lower impact energy during the forced landing. Therefore, the pilot did not properly configure the airplane for the forced landing, which resulted in its high-energy impact with power lines and terrain.
The pilot was on duty all night the day before the accident and had to reposition a flight at 0330, at which point he had been awake for about 15 hours. The pilot reported that, about 40 minutes into the flight, he was definitely starting to feel fatigued. Shortly later, the engine issues began. The pilot reported that he believed that a high level of fatigue, previous issues with another airplane he had flown that day, and a recent company airplane accident had "caused him to not think straight and not perform the proper emergency procedures for engine failure in flight."
Probable Cause: The pilot’s improper fuel management and failure to conduct the engine failure emergency procedures and his improper conduct of the forced landing, which resulted in fuel starvation, a total loss of engine power, and the subsequent high-energy impact with power lines and terrain. Contributing to the accident was pilot fatigue.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: 2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=66906
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 17 August 1998 | N66906 | Alliance Aviation, Inc. | 0 | Denver, CO | |
min |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Jan-2015 17:49 | Geno | Added |
| 21-Jan-2015 19:16 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 21-Jan-2015 19:55 | flm3454 | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Jan-2015 21:22 | Geno | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 22-Jan-2015 16:29 | Geno | Updated [Registration, Cn, Source] |
| 24-Jan-2015 15:54 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 27-Jan-2015 21:05 | Geno | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 01-May-2016 15:03 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Location, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 22-Oct-2017 21:51 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 05-Nov-2017 08:46 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Dec-2017 11:47 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Source] |
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