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19960922041109I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-22-108 · Toronto, SD · September 22, 1996

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
September 22, 1996 · 13:30 local
Place
Toronto, SD
Airport
Private
Phase of flight
Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N5147Z
Reported as
Piper PA22108
Reported engine
Lycoming O235L2C
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
3,817 total69 in this make and model15 in the last 90 days
N5147ZRegistration cancelled Aug 28, 2013 · Piper PA-22-108S/N 22-8793 · Built 1961Airframe modelPiper PA-22-108Engine modelLycoming 0-235 series4 cycle

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: according to the pilot, he was conducting a normal take-off, climbing to 20 feet above the runway when the engine lost power. He landed straight ahead into a corn field rather than attempt to turn back to the airport and chance stalling out in a turn. He initiated his approach straight ahead touching down in a normal landing attitude. As the aircraft entered the corn stalks, the nose lowered, causing the nose landing gear to collapse in the soft sod. The aircraft remained upright as it traveled through the corn stalks. Damage was limited to the propeller, nose gear, and lower engine cowling. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured, and the aircraft received minor damage. This report closes the investigation. Post incident investigation disclosed no reason as to why the engine lost power. The engine was test run on the ground, and ran satisfactorily. As a precaution, the carburetor was disassembled and the float needle was found to stick in the closed position. The float needle and seat were replaced and the engine was again ground run satisfactorily.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE WAS CONDUCTING A NORMAL TAKE-OFF, CLIMBING TO 20 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY WHEN THE ENGINE LOST POWER. HE LANDED STRAIGHT AHEAD INTO A CORN FIELD RATHER THAN ATTEMPT TO TURN BACK TO THE AIRPORT AND CHANCE STALLING OUT IN A TURN. HE INITIATED HIS APPROACH STRAIGHT AHEAD TOUCHING DOWN IN A NORMAL LANDING ATTITUDE. AS THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED THE CORN STALKS, THE NOSE LOWERED, CAUSING THE NOSE LANDING GEAR TO COLLAPSE IN THE SOFT SOD. THE AIRCRAFT REMAINED UPRIGHT AS IT TRAVELED THROUGH THE CORN STALKS. DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE PROPELLER, NOSE GEAR, AND LOWER ENGINE COWLING. THE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS NOT INJURED, AND THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE. THIS REPORT CLOSES THE INVESTIGATION. POST INCIDENT INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED NO REASON AS TO WHY THE ENGINE LOST POWER. THE ENGINE WAS TEST RUN ON THE GROUND, AND RAN SATISFACTORILY. AS A PRECAUTION, THE CARBURETOR WAS DISASSEMBLED AND THE FLOAT NEEDLE WAS FOUND TO STICK IN THE CLOSED POSITION. THE FLOAT NEEDLE AND SEAT WERE REPLACED AND THE ENGINE WAS AGAIN GROUND RUN SATISFACTORILY.