Accident Overview
On August 20, 2019, about 1130 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-31P, registration N90AP, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near East Brady, Pennsylvania. The private pilot was not injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Flight Details
The pilot had recently purchased the airplane and completed an annual inspection. The aircraft had not undergone an annual inspection since April 21, 2010, accumulating only 3 hours of flight time in that period. The pilot reported a normal preflight and engine runup before departing on a cross-country flight with all six fuel tanks filled to capacity (242 gallons total). He initially set the fuel selectors to the inboard tanks, then switched to the outboard tanks after 30 minutes. About 45 minutes into the flight (15 minutes after switching tanks), the left engine lost total power. Unable to restore power per the emergency checklist, the pilot secured the left engine and applied climb power to the right engine, but the airplane continued descending. He performed a forced landing to a field, during which the airplane impacted an electric fence and trees, coming to rest 180° from the direction of travel.
Postaccident Examination
According to the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the landing gear had separated, and damage was observed to the right aileron, right wing tip, elevator, and left aileron. A detailed examination confirmed engine continuity and compression. The left and right magnetos were disassembled and showed no anomalies. Further testing on the fuel servo and controller revealed that the fuel servo was within limits but was not the correct part number; the controller was within lower limits but did not meet high-end fuel flow limits. No other preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were found.
Maintenance Records
Examination of the airplane’s maintenance records showed no indication that FAA Airworthiness Directive 2009-02-03, which requires inspecting servo plugs for looseness and damage and inspecting the servo plug gasket, had been complied with.
Fuel System and Fuel Levels
The airplane had three fuel tanks in each wing: outboard, inboard, and a nacelle tank. Left wing: outboard and inboard tanks were empty; nacelle tank was full. Right wing: outboard tank empty; inboard and nacelle tanks were full.