Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Tucson Intern Arpt Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Tucson, Arizona 85706
Wednesday, October 23, 2013 10:40 MST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The private pilot, who did not have a multiengine rating, reported that, during takeoff, the airplane’s nose starting turning left; he did not realize that it was due to the left engine losing power. As a result, he did not perform the engine failure emergency procedure. A witness reported hearing one of the engines “misfiring” and subsequently seeing the airplane drift left, roll into a steep left bank, and then impact the ground.
Postaccident examination revealed no fuel in the left engine’s fuel strainer and carburetor; the right engine’s fuel strainer and carburetor both contained fuel. Fuel was present in both the left and right wing fuel tanks, and no evidence of fuel contamination was found. The left engine-driven fuel pump’s diaphragm was found to be brittle and cracked in several locations, which resulted in its inability to provide sufficient fuel pressure to maintain engine power during takeoff. No other anomalies were found with the left engine’s fuel system. The electric fuel boost pump switches were both found in the “off” position, indicating that the pilot had not turned them on before takeoff as called for in both the owner’s handbook before takeoff checklist and the before takeoff checklist located on a placard on the instrument panel. If the pilot had turned on the electric fuel boost pumps, the left engine would not have lost power because the electric pump would have compensated for the malfunction of the engine-driven pump.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during takeoff following the loss of left engine power due to the failure of the left engine-driven fuel pump’s diaphragm. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to use the electric fuel boost pumps for takeoff in accordance with checklist procedures and to conduct the engine failure emergency procedure.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 10/23/2013 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 1040 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Standard Time |
| Event City | Tucson |
| Event State | ARIZONA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 85706 |
| Event Date Year | 2013 |
| Event Date Month | 10 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 320644N |
| Event Location Longitude | 1105560W |
| Event Location Airport | Tucson Intern Arpt |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | TUS |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 2643 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1058 Mountain Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 40 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | DMA |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 2640 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 4 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | MST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 29 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -2 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 120 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 13 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29.97 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 32926 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA ROC |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jul 1 2014 2:56PM |
| User who most recently changed record | strj |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N3162P |
| NTSB Number | WPR14LA027 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | PA-23-150 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | Apache D |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 23-1094 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3501 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | 4 |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | -- |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Feb 1 2013 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 4169 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | Unknown |
| Aircraft Owner Name | James A. Homoki |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | Tucson |
| Aircraft Owner State | AZ |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 85712 |
| Operator is an individual? | Yes |
| Operator Name | James A. Homoki |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | Tucson |
| Operator State | AZ |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 85712 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | TUS |
| Departure City | Tucson |
| Departure State | AZ |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1030 |
| Departure Time Zone | MST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | TUS |
| Destination City | Tucson |
| Destination State | AZ |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jul 31 2014 2:23PM |
| User who most recently changed record | coos |
| Since inspection or accident | Last Inspection |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 11R |
| Runway Length | 8408 |
| Runway Width | 75 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |