Accident Piper PA-32R-301T Saratoga II TC N1060X,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 72365
 
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Date:Thursday 4 February 2010
Time:15:00
Type:Silhouette image of generic P32R model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Piper PA-32R-301T Saratoga II TC
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N1060X
MSN: 3257466
Year of manufacture:2007
Total airframe hrs:319 hours
Engine model:Lycoming TIO-540-AH1A
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:2 miles east of Stocktonhill Rd. at milepost 37.5, 20 miles n. of KIGM -   United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Saint George, UT (SGU)
Destination airport:Kingman, AZ (IGM)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
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.
Probable Cause: 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.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: WPR10LA128
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 8 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB

Location

Images:


Photo: NTSB

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
06-Feb-2010 02:07 RobertMB Added
20-Jul-2010 11:02 harro Updated [Source]
21-Dec-2016 19:25 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
26-Nov-2017 15:22 ASN Update Bot Updated [Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]

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