ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 177496
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| Date: | Sunday 9 May 2004 |
| Time: | 14:00 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-31-350 Chieftain |
| Owner/operator: | Newport Charter Inc. LLC |
| Registration: | N151LL |
| MSN: | 31-7852025 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 6642 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming TIO-540 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 7 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Morrisville-Stow State Airport, Morrisville, Vermont -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Morrisville, VT (MVL) |
| Groton, CT (GON) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
During departure, about 700 feet into the takeoff roll, the pilot observed that the left engine "seemed to lose a little manifold pressure," and he aborted the takeoff. While decreasing power during the aborted takeoff, the outboard section of the right wing "exploded." The airplane was stopped on the runway, and the occupants were evacuated. Examination of the airplane revealed that the upper and lower portions of the right outboard wing skin had separated from the wing structure. The inboard fuel cell vent line nipple was broken off from the cell, and examination of the area where the nipple had broken off revealed that the rubber was brittle and deteriorated. Further examination of the wing revealed that a 28-volt power wire used for a wingtip recognition light modification, was routed from the wing root area to the wingtip, following an aft stringer, and passing thru ribs via stringer cutouts with no chaffing protection. The wire was found to be shorted, and displayed evidence of arching to the wing structure. The airplane was equipped with four flexible rubber fuel cells, two in each wing panel. The rubber fuel cell involved in the accident was produced in 1977, and installed during the production of the airplane, which was completed in 1978. The wingtip recognition light modification was completed in 1987. According to the PA-31-350 Service Manual Inspection Report Checklist, a mechanic was to inspect fuel cells and lines for leaks, inspect the condition of the fuel cell material (every two years), and inspect the fuel cell vents (replacing the fuel tank vent line as required, or every five years, whichever came first).
Probable Cause: The improper installation of an electrical wire, which resulted in arching and the initiation of a fuel vapor explosion. A factor related to the accident was the failure of maintenance personnel to detect a cracked rubber fuel vent line nipple.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20040519X00612&key=1
FAA register: 2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=151LL
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-Jul-2015 13:59 | Noro | Added |
| 03-Jul-2015 22:49 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:30 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 18-Oct-2017 16:27 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Narrative] |
| 07-Dec-2017 18:00 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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