# Accident 19990227014969A: Piper PA23250, Lamar, CO, February 27, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 27, 1999
- Place: Lamar, CO
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.0792° N, 102.6093° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.0792&lon=-102.6093&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6574Y (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA23250
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN99LA046](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN99LA046) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990227014969A

## Narrative

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

(.19)ON FEBRUARY 27, 1999, APPROXIAMTELY 1210 MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A PIPER PA-23-250 AZTEC, N6574Y, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING A FORCED LANDING FOLLOWING A LOSS OF POWER ON BOTH ENGINES NEAR LAMAR, COLORADO. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT RATED PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED.  THE AIRPLANE WAS BEING OPERATED BY THE PILOT (THE PILOT HAD JUST PURCHASED THE AIRPLANE) UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91.  VISUAL METEOROLOCICAL CONDTIONS PREVAILED FOR THE CROSS-COUNTRY PERSONEL FLIGHT WHICH ORIGINATED FROM FORT WORTH MEACHAM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FORT WORTH, TEXAS, APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS 50 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED.  ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE HAD USED ALL THE FUEL IN THE AUXILIARY TANKS AND HAD SWITCHED BACK TO THE MAINS.  APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES LATER, THE LEFT ENGINE LOST POWER.  AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTED RESTARTS, THE OTHER ENGINE LOST POWER.  HE LANDED THE AIRPLANE IN AN ALFALFA FIELD.  DURING LANDING ROLLOUT, HE PULLED THE AIRPLANE BACK INTO THE AIR TO HOP AN IRRIGATION DITCH.  THE FIELD ON THE OTHER SIDE WAS FRESHLY PLOWED AND THE NOSE WHEEL LANDING GEAR SEPARATED FROM THE AIRPLANE WHEN IT CONTACTED THE SOFT EARTH.  SUBSEQUENTLY, THE NOSE CONE WAS PUSHED UP AND BACK, AND BOTH ENGINE MOUNTS WERE BENT. POSTACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE MAIN FUEL TANKS REVEALED THAT APPROXIAMTELY 8 GALLONS HAD BEEN USED FROM EACH.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB DEN99LA046](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN99LA046), Feb 27, 1999: Piper PA-23C-250 (N6574Y), Lamar, CO, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's improper use of the airplane's fuel tank selector switches. Factors were the fuel starvation to both engines, the pilot's lack of sleep, and the soft terrain.

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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