Recent content by yakshemash

NTSB Identification: CEN12FA086 Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter Accident occurred Monday, November 28, 2011 in Riverwoods, IL Aircraft: PIPER PA-31-350, registration: N59773 Injuries: 3 Fatal,2 Serious. This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors...

All very good points. No wing locker tanks on this bird. Also, the POH for this year PA-31 doesn't list fuel burn for the heater. They consider it negligible. I figure on at least one gal an hour for the heater from the right side, but NEVER had a significant fuel imbalance when using the heater.

Having direct knowledge of the operation of N59773, yes, both FF gauges show 18 gph when burning 21 gph. Company policy is to lean for FF, not EGT. This plane was a 1975 model with over 18,000 hours on it and the owner wasn't putting a dime into it, never mind a nice JPI, which it did not have...

Relax my online compadres, I'm not throwing stones at any of you. Please, be respectful. Let the process work itself first. This just occurred a couple of days ago. In due time, people will get the information they need. Good investigators read forums like these, or have assistants who comb the...

You are right, I should, but I ain't. NTSB will do their job. Hopefully they will discover this on their own. It's a fact though.

Nope! But it's a stone cold fact. Hope the NTSB checks the fuel flow system.

Wayne, you hit the nail on the head my friend! It's a fact! Check fuel prices in PBI vs. Jessup and a very short leg between the 2. The next leg is very long! Negligence and pressure on pilots to save a dime. You youngin's need to learn from this. Never let the employer pressure you into an...

This plane had a known problem with the fuel flow indicator. When the pilot set the FF to 18 gph, the engine was actually burning 21 gph. That's 3 gph per engine more than the pilot knew he was burning. That's 6 additional gallons per hour. In a 3.75 hour period, he burned 22.5 extra gallons...