| Crash location | 34.473611°N, 85.721389°W |
| Nearest city | Fort Payne, AL
34.444255°N, 85.719689°W 2.0 miles away |
| Tail number | N4200N |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 30 Jun 2005 |
| Aircraft type | Piper PA-31P |
| Additional details: | None |
On June 30, 2005 at 0816 central daylight time a Piper PA-31P, N4200N, registered to a private owner and operated by Max Pack, collided with the ground and burst into flames while maneuvering for a forced landing after an attempted take off from runway 22 at Isbell Field in Fort Payne, Alabama. The corporate flight operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and an instrument flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot and passenger received minor injuries. The flight originated from Isbell Field, Fort Payne, Alabama on June 30, 2005 at the time of the accident.
The pilot preformed the preflight checklist and no problems were noted. The airplane departed from runway 22 and at approximately 20 feet above the ground, the pilot noticed the reading from the right manifold pressure gauge dropped. The pilot stated that the airplane began to roll to the right. To avoid rolling over, the pilot put counter flight controls. The pilot was unable to regain control of the airplane and pushed the yoke forward to put the airplane on the ground. The right wing collided with the ground; the airplane cart wheeled and came to rest on its belly. A post-crash fire ensued.
Examination of the wreckage site revealed the aircraft located approximately 200 feet on the northwest side of the runway 22 centerline. The left fuel tank was ruptured and the left side of the airplane was fire damaged.
Further examination revealed that the right engine's aft clamp connecting the turbocharger compressor outlet to the intercooler piping was broken and the coupling was lose at the turbocharger assembly. The examination also revealed that the aft clamp used to secure the above mentioned coupling to the turbocharger assembly was not a T-bolt style clamp but, a standard automotive adjustable clamp.
The right engine was removed from the site and shipped to Textron Lycoming in Williamsport, Pennsylvania for further examination. During the functional test, required test equipment was fitted on the engine as it was installed in the test cell. The engine was operated at various power settings and was run up to full throttle at 3140 rpm, and 45-inches of manifold pressure. The first functional engine run was approximately 25 minutes.
A second test run was performed. The aft clamp connecting the turbocharger compressor outlet to the intercooler piping was removed. The engine was started and achieved a maximum power setting of 2200 rpm, and only 28 inches of manifold pressure. The second functional engine was approximately 5 minutes.
According to the engine manufacturer, the intercooler assembly and associated systems were produced by American Aviation, Inc., as a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) SE3800NM product.. When the STC installation was accomplished on the accident airplane was not determined.
The loss of engine power due to the failure of the aft clamp connecting the turbocharger compressor outlet to the intercooler ducting which resulted in reduced aircraft performance during takeoff.