MT. VERNON, GA, USA
N3218W
Piper PA-32-300
The airplane was at 9,000 feet in cruise flight. The pilot reported that about '2 hours' into the flight, he switched '...from the right tip tank to right main.' About 3 to 5 minutes later '...the engine stopped, and the propeller was windmilling.' He attempted a re-start without successes.' The flight was being vectored to an airport, but the pilot said he could not maintain altitude, and elected to land in an open field, separating one of the airplane's wings during the landing. An engine test run was performed under the supervision of the FAA, on March 19, 1999. Before starting the engine, the fuel screen was removed from the fuel servo, fuel was found, minimal sediment and no water were found. Fuel was found in the flow divider. The continuity of the mixture control was confirmed with free travel, stop to stop. The throttle was limited in travel from idle to half throttle due to the cockpit control being bent. The engine run revealed, on start up, that the engine exhaust emitting black smoke and the engine ran rough. When the mixture control was leaned out to about half travel, the black smoke stopped, and the engine ran smoothly. At idle the oil pressure gauge indicated minimum oil pressure. The engine was shut down using the mixture control and restarted several more times with the same results as on the first run. When the throttle control was advanced without first leaning out the mixture control, the engine would quit. When the mixture was moved from the lean position to the full rich position with the engine running, the engine would again run rough, emit black smoke and then die within several seconds. On June 14, 1999, the Precision Fuel Servo Injector, model RSA-10ED1, S/N 8791, was flow tested under the supervision of the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC). The flow test revealed that the servo was running rich at the idle setting, and 'off' idle setting, but was found within specifications at the higher rpm settings. The Fuel Servo Injector, was received at the Miami NTSB office via FedEX Pak on April 1, 1999. The package remained in the FedEX Pak (envelope) until flow tests were conducted, when the IIC arranged to have the unit flow tested at a service dealer in the area. The unit was removed from the FedEX Pak, wrapped in a single piece of plastic, and no padding. After removal, it was observed that the only external damage was to the mixture control lever which was bent, and jammed in the full rich position. The FAA inspector revealed that the mixture lever was not damaged when he turned the unit over to someone in his office for shipping. It was concluded that the mixture arm was damaged after it left the FAA office in Atlanta and before it reached the NTSB office in Miami, and that the damage was caused in shipping the unit in an unprotected container. The damaged mixture control lever did not have any effect on the fuel servo flow test.
On March 11, 1999, about 1130 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-32-300, N3218W, registered to a private individual, crashed during a forced landing near Mount Vernon, Georgia, while on a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions were reported, and an IFR flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged. The private-rated pilot and one passenger reported no injuries. The flight had originated from Danville, Kentucky at 0900. The airplane was at 9,000 feet in cruise flight, and the pilot was in radio contact with Jacksonville, Florida, Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). The pilot reported that about "2 hours" into the flight, he switched "...from the right tip tank to right main." About 3 to 5 minutes later "...the engine stopped, and the propeller was windmilling." He attempted to restart the engine without success. The flight was being vectored to Vadalia, Georgia, but the pilot said he could not maintain altitude, so he elected to land in an open field, and separated one of the airplane's wings during the landing. The engine from N3218W was taken to Atlanta Air Salvage in Griffin, Georgia, to perform a test run, under the supervision of the FAA, on March 19, 1999. According to the FAA inspector's statement, before starting the engine, the fuel screen was removed from the fuel servo, fuel was found, "...minimal sediment and no water" were found. Fuel was found in the flow divider. The inspector wrote, "...the continuity of the mixture control was confirmed with free travel, stop to stop. The throttle was limited in travel from idle to half throttle due to the cockpit control being bent." According to the inspector's statement the engine run revealed, "...on start up, the engine exhaust emitting black smoke and the engine ran rough. When the mixture control was leaned out to about half travel, the black smoke stopped and the engine ran smoothly. At idle the oil pressure gauge indicated minimum oil pressure. The magneto check gave a smooth drop on the right and left magneto, but the amount is unknown as the tachometer was not working. The engine was shut down using the mixture control and restarted several more times with the same results as on the first run. When the throttle control was advanced without first leaning out the mixture control, the engine would quit. When the mixture was moved from the lean position to the full rich position with the engine running, the engine would again run rough, emit black smoke and then die within several seconds." The unit was placed on a flow check bench and tested with the following results; a) Idle, parameters measured in inches of fuel were 34.5 to 42.7. The idle reading for this unit was 50, which equated to a rich setting. The idle settings equated to 18 pounds per hour (pph). The "off" idle settings equated to 38 pph, or the power up setting. The normal setting for "off" idle should have been 24 pph; b) The midrange setting was 80 inches of fuel, and should have been between 71.0 and 77.0. Mid-range was rich; c) High setting was 160 inches of fuel, which was within the normal range of 156.8 to 163.2. The mixture control lever assembly was disassembled and was found with the pin dislodged from the hole. It was determined that this had occurred when the mixture lever was damaged during shipping (see photo No 2). The FAA inspector requested that the fuel servo "...[be] placed in a box of which I [FAA Inspector] have maintained possession of until shipped to the NTSB in Miami, Florida." The Precision Fuel Servo Injector, model RSA-10ED1, S/N 8791, was received at the NTSB Southeast Regional Office, Miami, Florida, via FedEx Pak on April 1, 1999. The package remained in the FedEx Pak (envelope, see photo No. 1) until June 14, 1999, when the IIC arranged to have the unit flow tested at a service dealer in the Miami area. The unit was removed from the FedEx Pak, wrapped in a single piece of plastic, and no padding. After removal, it was observed that the only external damage was to the mixture control lever which was bent, and jammed in the full rich position. The FAA inspector revealed that the mixture lever was not damaged when he turned the unit over to someone in his office for shipping. It was concluded that the mixture lever was damage after it left the FAA office in Atlanta and before it reached the NTSB office in Miami, and that the damage was caused in shipping the unit in an unprotected container. The damaged mixture control lever did not have any effect on the servo flow test.
The pilot's improper flare that resulted in a hard landing in an open field. A factor was the high output flow of the fuel injector servo that resulted in a loss of engine power and the forced landing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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