What happened
While operating in cruise flight at 12,000 feet MSL, the aircraft's engine suffered a total loss of power. In response to the engine failure, the pilot performed a forced landing in a field located in Greenville, VA. The occupants were not injured during the event.
The investigation
An on-scene investigation identified that the fuel injector line, positioned between the fuel manifold and the number 6 cylinder fuel nozzle, was broken. To determine the nature of the failure, a metallurgical study was conducted. This study revealed that the separation of the fuel line was caused by metal fatigue.
Following this finding, the Safety Board issued recommendation A-29-10 on March 2, 1992, suggesting that the FAA publish an airworthiness directive to address these specific fuel line failures. In response, the FAA issued AD 92-12-10 on June 5, 1992. This directive required a visual inspection of each fuel injector fuel line within 10 flight hours to check for missing or insecure support clamps that fail to properly support the line. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had not yet completed 10 flight hours since the adoption of this AD.