PIPER PA-38-112

Full Narrative

On March 16, 2013, at 1330 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-38-112, N99DM, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power on takeoff initial climb near Byron, California. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. No flight plan had been filed for the cross-country flight to Livermore, California. The flight was originating from the Byron Airport at the time of the accident, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed.

The pilot reported that he had just taken off, and the end of the runway was passing underneath him when the airplane's engine began to sputter and then lost power. He declared an emergency on the radio, set up a glide, changed fuel tanks, turned on the electric fuel boost pump, and flared for landing. He landed in a field immediately next to airport property. During the landing roll in the grass field, the right main landing gear encountered several gopher holes, bending the right wing and right side of the fuselage.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane at the accident site, and he reported that 5 and 6 gallons of fuel were drained from the left and right wing tanks, respectively. A visual examination of the fuel revealed no indication of contamination. The wings were removed from the airplane, and the airplane was transported to a salvage yard.

On April 16, 2013, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector attempted to perform an engine run at the salvage yard. Difficulty was encountered in energizing the airplane's electrical system, and therefore, the airplane's electric fuel boost pump could not be used to supply fuel to the engine. While manually priming the fuel system, a leak was found at the gascolator. The gascolator was disassembled, and a crack in the upper flange of the metal bowl extending around about a third of its circumference was found. The gascolator was bypassed in order to supply fuel directly to the carburetor. When a start was attempted, the starter was not capable of turning over the engine. No further examination was conducted.