Witnesses Said It Sounded As If The Airplane Was Experiencing
Engine Problems
The NTSB has issued a preliminary report for an accident
involving a Cessna T303 Crusader, which went down near the town of
Louisa, VA, killing the pilot. The aircraft impacted a house in a
residential area, but the only person in the home at the time of
the accident escaped without injury.
NTSB Identification: ERA10FA161
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, March 04, 2010 in Louisa, VA
Aircraft: CESSNA T303, registration: N9305T
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may
contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when
the final report has been completed.
On March 4, 2010, about 1245 EST, a Cessna T303, N9305T, owned
and operated by a commercial pilot, was substantially damaged
during impact with a residential area, following a loss of engine
power during takeoff from Louisa County Airport (KLKU), Louisa,
Virginia. The certificated commercial pilot was killed. VFR
conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the planned
flight to Danville Regional Airport (KDAN), Danville, Virginia.
The airplane was based at Manassas Regional Airport (KHEF),
Manassas, Virginia. According to a witness at LKU, the pilot flew
from KHEF to LLKU, and then fueled the airplane with 148.7 gallons
of 100 low-lead aviation gasoline. The airplane subsequently
departed on runway 27, a 4,300-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, asphalt
runway. The witness, who was inside a fixed based operator building
at the time of departure, noted that the airplane “caught my
attention” during takeoff. Specifically, at least one engine
“didn’t sound right” and seemed to be
“running rough and not making power.” By the time the
witness went to the rear door of the building, there was no sight
of the airplane, and he thought the airplane had departed the
area.
Several other witnesses, located about 1/2 mile northwest of the
airport, observed the accident airplane pass overhead in a right
turn. They reported that the engine noise did not sound correct.
Two of the witnesses noted grayish black smoke emanating from the
airplane. One witness stated that the smoke was coming from the
right engine and the other witness stated that it seemed to be
coming from the tail section. The airplane then rolled left and
descended nose down into the front yard of a residence. A postcrash
fire consumed a majority of the wreckage and the residence. One
person was inside the residence at the time, and was able to exit
without injury.
The wreckage was examined on March 5 and 6, 2010. All major
components of the airplane were accounted for at the scene. No
debris path was observed and no damage was noted to the surrounding
trees or utility wires. The airplane came to rest in a flat,
upright attitude, on a heading of 220 degrees magnetic. The cockpit
and cabin area were consumed by fire. The empennage, engines, and
inboard section of the right wing remained intact.
Rudder, rudder trim, elevator, and elevator trim control
continuity were confirmed from their respective cockpit controls to
the control surfaces. Aileron control continuity was confirmed from
the cockpit controls to the left and right aileron bellcranks,
respectively. Measurement of the rudder trim actuator revealed an
approximate neutral rudder trim position. Measurement of the
elevator trim jacksrcrew revealed an approximate 15-degree tab up
(nose down) position.
The airplane's landing gear was observed in the retracted
position. Measurement of the flap jackscrew corresponded to a
10-degree flap extended position. The left and right fuel selectors
were destroyed. Several flight instruments were recovered from the
cockpit; however, they were unreadable due to fire damage.
The left propeller had separated from the left engine and was
buried in mud. One blade had separated from the left propeller hub,
while the other two blades remained attached. One of the attached
propeller blades was curled rearward at the tip. The other two left
propeller blades exhibited chordwise scratches and leading edge
gouging. The right propeller remained attached to the right engine.
One blade was melted about 1 foot from the hub. Another blade was
melted about 18 inches from the hub and curled forward at the tip.
The third right propeller blade was curled rearward at the tip.
Both engines had separated from the airframe and sustained fire
damage. A cursory examination of both engines did not reveal any
evidence of catastrophic failure. The engines and propellers were
retained for further examination.
The pilot, age 62, held a commercial pilot certificate, with
ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. He
also held a private pilot certificate, with a rating for airplane
multiengine land. His most recent Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) second-class medical certificate was issued on April 14,
2008. At that time, the pilot reported a total flight experience of
2,193 hours. The pilot’s logbook was located in the wreckage
and had been partially consumed by fire. Review of the last legible
logbook page revealed approximately 2,255 total hours of flight
experience; however, no dates were legible on the page.
The six-seat, low-wing, retractable-gear airplane, serial number
T30300001, was manufactured in 1981. It was powered by two Teledyne
Continental Motors TSIO 520-AE, 250-horsepower engines (one
counter-rotating engine), equipped with McCauley propellers.
Maintenance logbooks were located in the airplane, and had been
partially consumed by fire. Review of the logbooks revealed that
the airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed on
December 29, 2009. Review of a work order for that annual
inspection revealed:
- “Right engine EGT running high…Removed turbo air
cleaner filter to see if there is binding turbo bearing. No faults
found. Lubricated turbo waste gate. Further T.S. required. Removed
and cleaned fuel injectors. Replaced all seals, ran aircraft, ops
check good.”
Further maintenance was performed on the airplane, from December
31, 2009, to January 27, 2010. Review of a work order for that
maintenance revealed:
- “Right engine rough at cruise…Inspected control
for proper range of motion mixture and throttle go stop. Ran
aircraft rh fuel pump erratic. Possible bad mechanical fuel pump.
Trouble shot further re inspected injector and cleaned, inspected
plugs, cleaned gapped and rotated, found bad plug replaced plug.
Inspected fuel distributor and found small amount of debris cleaned
debris. Resecured injection system test ran and engine no longer
ran rough. TIT still high removed TIT gauge for inspection.
Reinstalled adjusted and gauge test. Test ran TIT ok but fuel flow
has problem…Adjusted FF by Shadin due to no gauges. Ran OK.
Assembled gauges for FF check found FF out of limits. Unable to
adjust proper FF, MP, spoke with FF REO for assistance. Removed
fuel pump, divider and control to send out for
check…Installed OVH fuel pump, metering valve and fuel
manifold see yellow tags attached by D & G fuel system IAW SID
978-3E. Replaced #6 lower spark plug. Rigged fire shut off valve.
Bench tested and adjusted TIT gauge. Performed operational check
OPS OK…EGT gauge need calibration…Function check R/H
probe. Indicator recalibrated. Checked to MFG specs.”