# Incident 19960123006729I: Piper PA32R300, Taft, CA, January 23, 1996

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 23, 1996, 18:10 local time
- Place: Taft, CA
- Airport: Taft-Kern County Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.1417° N, 119.4378° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at TAFT-KERN COUNTY (L17), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.1417&lon=-119.4378&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5363F, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5363F-2021-07-03) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-32R-300 (registry code 7103213, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32r-300) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA32R300
- Reported engine: LYC IO540K1A5
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,900 total, 299 in this make and model, 202 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960123006729I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

NARRATIVE: WHILE IN LEVEL CRUISE FLIGHT AT 8500 FEET MSL, 5 MILES NORTH OF FELLOWS VOR, PILOT AND SOLE OCCUPANT BRITT BOUTIN, EXPERIENCED AN ABRUPT AND TOTAL ENGINE FAILURE ENROUTE FROM BURBANK, CA TO PASO ROBLES, CA AT APPROXIMATELY 18:00 PST. PILOT TURNED RIGHT TOWARD THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY IN VMC, AND REQUESTED VECTORS FROM LAX CENTER TO TAFT AIRPORT. PILOT ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE ENGINE BUT ALL EFFORTS FAILED. REALIZING N5363F WOULD NOT CLEAR THE HILLS TO THE EAST AND IN FRONT OF N5363, PILOT TURNED LEFT 180 DEGREES AND NOTIFIED LAX CENTER THAT A FORCED FIELD LANDING WAS EMINENT OVER THE SODA DRY LAKE BED. PILOT ESTABLISHED BEST GLIDE AND DESCENDED IN AFTER DUSK CONDITIONS TO APPROXIMATELY 500 TO 800 FEET AGL. PILOT SPOTTED A ROAD UPON WHICH TO LAND BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO MAKE IT, LANDING SHORT IN A WEED PATCH. N5363F MADE A NORMAL TOUCH DOWN AND ROLLED APPROXIMATELY 50 YARDS AND CROSSED OVER A ROAD, AGAIN TOUCHING DOWN AND COMING TO REST APPROXIMATELY 100 YARDS LATER. PILOT SECURED THE AIRCRAFT AND EGRESSED N5363F IMMEDIATELY. PILOT ENSURED N5363F WAS SAFE, HE THEN RE-ESTABLISHED RADIO CONTACT WITH AIRCRAFT FLYING OVER HIS POSITION. PILOT REPORTED HE WAS DOWN WITH NO INJURIES AND ONLY MINOR DAMAGE TO N5363F. VISUAL INSPECTION OF N5363F'S ENGINE REVEALED THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION WAS RELATED TO A MALFUNCTIONING MAGNETO AND GENERAL ACCESSORY GEAR TRAIN FAILURE. FOR FURTHER DETAILS, PLEASE REFER TO AMERIFLIGHT SDR SUBMITTALS TO THEIR CERTIFICATE HOLDING OFFICE CONCERNING N5363F, IN ACCORCANCE WITH 135.415.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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