PIPER PA-30 — Amarillo, TX

What happened

The pilot of the twin-engine airplane contacted air traffic control (ATC) and requested visual flight rules flight following and was cleared for departure. Three minutes later, he checked in with the controller, and about 6 minutes later, he radioed to ATC that he was going to return to the departure airport because he was having engine trouble. Shortly thereafter, the pilot reported that his left engine had stopped. The controller asked if he wanted to declare an emergency; the pilot declined and reported that he had the airport in sight. Security camera video showed the aircraft returning to the airport at a very slow speed, then the aircraft turned sharply to the left and rapidly descended below the trees. About 0.8 miles from the approach end of the runway, the airplane impacted nose down into the yard of a home within a dense populated residential area. A witness reported that he saw the airplane turning and that the airplane's left propeller was not turning and not feathered. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the left propeller assembly showed little deformation, consistent with little or no rotation or power at impact. The right propeller had deformation signatures consistent with rotation/power at impact. No mechanical anomalies were found during detailed examination of the left engine and its components.

Thunderstorms and significant amounts of rain had passed through the area during the week before the accident. The airplane had been parked outside on the ramp during the heavy rain. All fuel flow components through the left and right fuel sumps and filters were located and examined. Examination of the left sump and filter revealed it to be contaminated with about 75-percent water as well as a dark sand-like substance. The right side sump contained mostly fuel with only a trace amount of water. The airplane was fueled 3 days before the accident and the source of the fuel was tested; no water contamination was found. It is likely that water entered the fuel system while the airplane was parked outside in the rain and that the pilot did not sump the fuel tanks before takeoff and the left engine stopped producing power due to water contamination. It is unknown why the pilot could not maintain control of the airplane with the right engine producing power.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.