PIPER PA-30

Full Narrative

On July 29, 2012, at 1123 central daylight time (all times are converted to central daylight time), N8121Y, a Piper PA-30 twin engine airplane, sustained substantial damage when it made a forced landing to a field after a total loss of engine power to the right engine. The certified private pilot and the passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. No flight plan was filed for the flight that originated at Tri-State Airport/Milton J. Ferguson Field (HTS), Huntington, West Virginia, about 0744, and destined for Kennett Memorial Airport (TKX), Kennett, Missouri. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

The pilot said that he departed West Virgina with full fuel tanks. The flight was uneventful until the airplane suddenly yawed to the right approximately 15 miles from TKX. The pilot confirmed that the right engine had stopped operating. He tried to restart the engine but it only ran for 20-30 seconds. The pilot feathered the right propeller but the airplane would not maintain altitude. Once the pilot realized he would not reach the airport, he prepared for a forced landing and tried to re-start the engine one more time, but it did not start. However, the propeller did unfeather during the attempted engine restart. The pilot landed gear-up in a cultivated field and the airplane slid for several hundred yards before coming to rest upright, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage.

Two Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) inspectors performed an on-scene examination of the airplane. The examination revealed the b-nut from the engine-driven fuel pump to the fuel-metering unit on the right engine was loose and leaking fuel. A review of the engine maintenance logbooks indicated the pilot/owner, who was also an FAA certified airframe and mechanic, had completed an annual inspection approximately 10 hours before the accident. He had also recently overhauled the airplane's entire fuel system. No other mechanical anomalies were noted with the engine.