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Incident
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-23-250 · Montrose, CO · February 6, 1997

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
February 6, 1997 · 10:00 local
Place
Montrose, CO
Airport
Montrose County
Phase of flight
Normal Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft
N6291Y
Reported as
Piper PA23250
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,400 total200 in this make and model15 in the last 90 days
N6291YRegistration cancelled Feb 8, 2025 · Piper PA-23-250S/N 27-3541 · Built 1967Airframe modelPiper PA-23-250Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

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: pilot departed ogd destined for mtj under IFR flight plan. After about 1:45 minutes and approaching Montrose, CO (mtj) both engines began running very rough and lost power. Pilot switched tanks in every possible combination. With no restoration of power. Both engines eventually lost complete power, pilot landed on a country road, no damage, no injuries. Pilot departed ogd using outboard tanks, probelm developed when he switched to the inboards, however, even after going back to outboards the engines continued to die. Pilot is an ia/a&p he found significant water contamination in the fuel system. Cleaned system in the field and ferried the aircraft the next day to Montrose, CO with no problem. Pilot states he flew the previous day on both inboard and outboard tanks from boise, id to ogd. At ogd he had the inboards topped and suspects the vendor fueled him with contaminated fuel, vendor denies any problem with his fuel system. The aircraft was previously parked outside but was hangered that evening in ogd after it was fueled. It is possible that the water in the fuel was frozen during the previous flights and melted in the heated hangar at ogd. This investigation is closed and no action is being pursued against the pilot. No other aircraft refueled at ogd FBO reported fuel problems.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: PILOT DEPARTED OGD DESTINED FOR MTJ UNDER IFR FLIGHT PLAN. AFTER ABOUT 1:45 MINUTES AND APPROACHING MONTROSE, CO (MTJ) BOTH ENGINES BEGAN RUNNING VERY ROUGH AND LOST POWER. PILOT SWITCHED TANKS IN EVERY POSSIBLE COMBINATION. WITH NO RESTORATION OF POWER. BOTH ENGINES EVENTUALLY LOST COMPLETE POWER, PILOT LANDED ON A COUNTRY ROAD, NO DAMAGE, NO INJURIES. PILOT DEPARTED OGD USING OUTBOARD TANKS, PROBELM DEVELOPED WHEN HE SWITCHED TO THE INBOARDS, HOWEVER, EVEN AFTER GOING BACK TO OUTBOARDS THE ENGINES CONTINUED TO DIE. PILOT IS AN IA/A&P HE FOUND SIGNIFICANT WATER CONTAMINATION IN THE FUEL SYSTEM. CLEANED SYSTEM IN THE FIELD AND FERRIED THE AIRCRAFT THE NEXT DAY TO MONTROSE, CO WITH NO PROBLEM. PILOT STATES HE FLEW THE PREVIOUS DAY ON BOTH INBOARD AND OUTBOARD TANKS FROM BOISE, ID TO OGD. AT OGD HE HAD THE INBOARDS TOPPED AND SUSPECTS THE VENDOR FUELED HIM WITH CONTAMINATED FUEL, VENDOR DENIES ANY PROBLEM WITH HIS FUEL SYSTEM. THE AIRCRAFT WAS PREVIOUSLY PARKED OUTSIDE BUT WAS HANGERED THAT EVENING IN OGD AFTER IT WAS FUELED. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE WATER IN THE FUEL WAS FROZEN DURING THE PREVIOUS FLIGHTS AND MELTED IN THE HEATED HANGAR AT OGD. THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED AND NO ACTION IS BEING PURSUED AGAINST THE PILOT. NO OTHER AIRCRAFT REFUELED AT OGD FBO REPORTED FUEL PROBLEMS.