Final Flight: Malibu conversion lost fuel cap
JETPROP CONVERSION OF PIPER PA-46-310P MALIBU, HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C., AUG.

JETPROP CONVERSION OF PIPER PA-46-310P MALIBU, HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C., AUG. 31, 2003–Trailing a whitish vapor from the left wing, according to a witness, the JetProp Malibu conversion was returning to the Hilton Head Airport for an emergency landing when it hit trees and caught fire. The left inboard fuel cap was missing from the filler port and was found in the grass beside the runway. A witness said he did not see the pilot perform a preflight inspection.

The NTSB blamed the accident on the pilot’s “failure to maintain control during a VFR pattern for a precautionary landing, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent and subsequent collision with terrain. Also causal was the pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in his failure to secure the fuel cap.”

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