Incident Overview
During an approach to Mobile Downtown Airport, a pilot informed the control tower of a problem. The ground controller, who had the airplane in sight, cleared the flight to land on runway 18. The pilot reported a "run away engine" and chose to shut down the engine while continuing the approach. The controller issued a second clearance for runway 18. The pilot then expressed uncertainty about reaching the runway. The airplane struck a utility pole and the ground, bursting into flames short of the runway.
Post-Accident Examination
Investigation of the engine revealed that the fuel control unit arm to the fuel control unit interconnect rod end connection had separated from the rod end swivel ball assembly. The swivel ball assembly was found improperly attached: the bolt head faced inboard instead of outboard, and the washer and nut were positioned on the arm's outboard side instead of the inboard side. This separation would have resulted in a loss of power lever control.
Published Emergency Procedures
The published emergency procedures for "Power Lever Control Lose" include the following steps: reduce airspeed and set the airplane nose-up at less than 178 KIAS, activate the inertial separation switch, monitor ITT, lower landing gear, set flaps to takeoff, establish a long final or instrument approach respecting airspeed limits, and when the runway is assured, move the condition lever to cutoff, feather the propeller governor, set landing flaps, and land normally without reverse thrust, using brakes as required.
Pilot Actions
The pilot communicated to Mobile Downtown Control Tower Ground Control that he had a "run away engine" and that he "had to shut down the engine." He did not adhere to the published emergency procedures for loss of power lever control. As a result, the airplane was unable to reach the runway during the emergency.