IAD03LA008

Factual narrative

On October 22, 2002, at 1818 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-30, N8770Y, was substantially damaged when it impacted a house, following a loss of engine power shortly after takeoff from Middlesboro-Bell County Airport (1A6), Middlesboro, Kentucky. The certificated airline transport pilot and his passenger were seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight, conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to a mechanic who worked at the airport, the pilot and the passenger were working on the airplane prior to their departure. He observed the pilot spraying fuel from a "squirt bottle" into the air intake of the left engine, in an attempt to start it. He then approached the pilot and asked if he needed assistance. The pilot stated to the mechanic that he had experienced this problem several times before, and it appeared to be that the "engine-driven fuel pump had lost its prime." As the pilot started the airplane, the engine "backfired," and a small fire was observed in the engine area. The pilot shut the engine down, and the fire extinguished itself. A few minutes later, the pilot started the engine again. The mechanic then observed the pilot perform a run-up inspection, and noted that the engine "sounded normal." The airplane departed runway 10, and reached an altitude of 50 feet when the left engine lost power. The airplane could not continue to climb, and the mechanic lost sight of it as it descended behind trees. Another witness, who was standing in his front yard, observed the airplane at a very low altitude, with a "high rpm sound." He saw the airplane head east and heard a "loud engine rpm increase" just prior to the left wing impacting a house. The airplane continued through the house, impacted a tree on the other side, and came to rest upright, in the street. According to the pilot, shortly after a "normal takeoff," just past the end of runway 10, the airplane experienced a loss of power on the left engine. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and airspeed, and when he could not locate any emergency landing sites straight ahead, he steered the airplane into a tree to cushion the impact. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the left outboard wing section was separated from the fuselage and the left engine was separated from the wing. Both were observed near the base of the house, in the backyard. The remainder of the airplane was located about 35 yards from the house, upright, and pointed towards the west. During an examination of the engines, the left engine-driven fuel pump was removed from the engine and the drive shaft was observed to be fractured. The electric fuel boost pumps from both engines were also removed and hooked up to a 12-volt car battery. The right engine boost pump operated normally, and noticeable suction and pressure was observed at the inlet and outlet ports. The left engine boost pump did not sound as loud or as strong as the right pump, and little suction or pressure was observed at the inlet and outlet ports. The left engine electric boost pump and engine-driven fuel pump were sent to their respective manufacturers for examination under FAA supervision. The fuel boost pump was found to be inoperative during its examination. The locking tang on the blade ring was observed separated from the pump. In addition, the plunger valve and mating cover installed in the pump were not the manufacturer's specified type for the fuel pump assembly. During examination of the engine-driven fuel pump, the fuel pump drive spline was observed to be sheared in two pieces. Further disassembly of the pump revealed a small foreign object in the outlet port of the valve assembly housing. It was also noted that the carbon bearing inside the valve assemble housing had been gouged. The drive shaft and foreign object were retained for further examination. The engine-driven fuel pump drive shaft and two pieces of the separated locking tang from the electric fuel boost pump were sent to the Safety Board Materials Laboratory in Washington D.C. for examination. According to the Materials Laboratory Factual Report: "Examination of the engine-driven fuel pump input drive shaft revealed that the shaft portion was fractured on a flat transverse plane. The fracture surface contained concentric smearing lines, and the shaft surface displayed torsional deformation, features typical of an overstress fracture in a ductile material as a result of excessive torsional loads. ...One end of the larger piece of the locking ring contained an impact and wear area on the inside of the ring diameter. The impact and wear area had penetrated through more than half of the diameter of the ring wire...The smaller piece appeared to be a piece of the locking ring, was bent at an angle of about 120 degrees, and contained wear and impact damage. Although fracture features were noted on one end of the smaller piece, the damage and deformation prevented a determination that this fracture matched any portion of the fracture on the damaged end of the larger piece. The two pieces of the locking ring did appear to be made from the same diameter wire and be made from the same material." Examination of the engine logbooks revealed that the last annual inspection was performed on May 15, 2002. No entries regarding either the electric or engine-driven fuel pumps were noted. The pilot reported 11,000 hours of total flight experience, 4,600 of which were in make and model. Weather reported at McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), Knoxville, Tennessee, about 45 nautical miles to the south, at 1653, included winds from 010 degrees at 3 knots, 10 miles visibility, clear skies, temperature 66 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 54 degrees Fahrenheit, and barometric pressure 30.14 inches Hg. Prior to the pilot's departure, a mechanic observed him spraying fuel from a "squirt bottle" into the air intake of the left engine. The pilot stated to the mechanic that he had experienced this problem several times before, and it appeared to be that the "engine-driven fuel pump had lost its prime." During the engine start, the engine "backfired," and a small fire was observed in the engine area. The pilot shut the engine down, and the fire extinguished itself. A few minutes later, the pilot started the engine again, performed a run-up inspection, and departed. At an altitude of 50 feet, the left engine lost power, and the pilot attempted a forced landing. During the landing, the airplane impacted a house, and came to rest in the street. Examination of the engine revealed that the locking tang from the left electric boost pump had fractured and separated from the pump. A portion of the locking tang was located inside the engine-driven fuel pump, and it was noted that the fuel pump drive spline was sheared due to an overstress fracture. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12