# Accident 19990726009929A: Piper PA31350, Salina, KS, July 26, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: July 26, 1999, 17:00 local time - Place: Salina, KS - Airport: Salina Municipal - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Operator: BWFA - Location: 38.8098° N, 97.6091° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.8098&lon=-97.6091&mi=10 - Aircraft: N97MA, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N97MA) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-31-350 (registry code 7103110, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-31-350) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA31350 - Reported engine: LYC TIO540* - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 1,282 total, 128 in this make and model, 107 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI99LA256](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99LA256) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990726009929A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ACFT LOST POWER AND MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A FIELD. (.4) THE PILOT REPORTED THAT AIRCRAFT ELECTRICAL POWER WAS NOT AVAILABLE DURING THE PREFLIGHT INSPECTION. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE ENGINES WERE STARTED UTILIZING A GROUND POWER UNIT, AND THAT AIRCRAFT ELECTRICAL POWER COULD NOT BE RESTORED AFTER THE GROUND POWER UNIT WAS SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT AFTER LIFTOFF HE COULD NOT MOVE THE GEAR SELECTION LEVER TO THE 'UP' POSITION AND THAT THE LEFT ENGINE BEGAN TO, '...SURGE AND LOOSE POWER. REDUCED POWER ON THE LEFT ENGINE, ENGINE CONTINUED TO SURGE. SWITCHED FUEL SELECTOR FOR LEFT ENGINE TO [THE] LEFT OUTBOARD FUEL TANK. LEFT ENGINE CONTINUED TO SURGE.' THE PILOT ELECTED TO LAND, STRAIGHT AHEAD, INTO A FIELD OF WHEAT STUBBLE. FUEL QUANTITY PRESENT, AT THE POST-ACCIDENT INSPECTION, FOR THE INBOARD FUEL TANKS, WAS LESS THAN THE UNUSABLE FUEL AMOUNT AS LISTED IN THE PILOT'S OPERATING HANDBOOK (POH). FUEL QUANTITY PRESENT, AT THE POST-ACCIDENT INSPECTION, FOR THE OUTBOARD FUEL TANKS, WAS 1-2 GALLONS PER TANK MORE THAN THE POH REPORTED UNUSABLE FUEL AMOUNT. THE POH STATES THAT THE OUTBOARD FUEL TANKS ARE TO BE UTILIZED DURING LEVEL FLIGHT ONLY. ALL FOUR OF THE FUEL TANKS WERE INTACT, WITH NO APPARENT LEAKS OR RUPTURES, AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A FUEL SPILL AT THE ACCIDENT SITE. ACCORDING THE POH, THE ELECTRICAL DRIVEN FUEL BOOST PUMPS, '...ARE OPERATED CONTINUOUSLY AND ARE PROVIDED TO MAINTAIN FUEL UNDER PRESSURE TO THE OTHER FUEL PUMPS....' THE POH FURTHER STATES THAT THE ELECTRICAL DRIVEN EMERGENCY FUEL PUMPS ARE UTILIZED, '...DURING TAKEOFF AND LANDING, AND FOR PRIMING THE ENGINES.' ACCORDING TO THE PIPER SERVICE MANUAL FOR THE PA-31-350, THE GEAR SELECTION LEVER, '...CANNOT BE MOVED TO [THE] GEAR UP [POSITION] WHILE LEFT MAIN GEAR STRUT IS COMPRESSED OR WITH POWER OFF.' (-23) ON MONDAY AFTERNOON, 07/26/99, MR. MATTHEW ODENBRETT WENT TO SALINA, KANSAS AIRPORT (SLN) TO FERRY N97MA, TO HIS HOME BASE OF MCPHERSON, KS (MPR). MR. ODENBRETT WAS TO PICK-UP ANOTHER AIRPLANE AT MCPHERSON TO BEGIN HIS ASSIGNED FREIGHT RUNS. DISTANCE BETWEEN AIRPORTS IS 26.41 NM. ON PREFLIGHT IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THERE WAS NO ELECTRICAL POWER WHEN THE MASTER SWITCH WAS TURNED ON, SO A GPU START WAS ACCOMPLISHED. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WAS NOT USED AND LIGHT SIGNALS WERE RECEIVED FROM THE TOWER FOR TAKE-OFF. LANDI NG GEAR WOULD NOT RETRACT AFTER TAKE-OFF AND LEFT ENGINE BEGAN TO SURGE. MR. ODENBRETT ATTEMPTED TO SWITCH TO LEFT AUX. TANK AND BEGAN TO FEATHER THE LEFT ENGINE BUT THEN BROUGHT THE PROPELLER CONTROL ABOVE FEATHER RANGE IN CASE THE ENGINE WAS DEVELOPING ANY POWER. MR. ODENBRETT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE AND CRASHED INTO A CUT WHEAT FIELD AFTER PULLING UP TO CLEAR A TREE LINE. HE AND HIS PASSENGER REQUIRED STITCHES FOR THEIR FOREHEAD CUTS. THEY WERE RELEASED THE SAME NIGHT FROM A LOCAL HOSPITAL. ## 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 CHI99LA256](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99LA256), Jul 26, 1999: Piper PA-31-350 (N97MA), Salina, KS, substantial damage. Probable cause: the inadequate preflight inspection by the pilot. Factors to the accident were fuel exhaustion and the operation of the aircraft with known deficiencies in equipment by the pilot. 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.