20020422011049I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Scwzer G164B · Gueydan, LA · April 22, 2002

Date: April 22, 2002 · 18:12 local
Place: Gueydan, LA
Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator: SLCG
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N426KG
Reported as: Scwzer G164B
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A20
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 5,000 total3,000 in this make and model200 in the last 90 days

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.

(-23) While at cruise, the aircraft engine began to lose power and then quit running. Mr. Zaunbrecher then immediately dumped his load of fertilizer and prepared to make an emergency landing. Mr. Zaunbrecher landed his aircraft in a saturated rice field resulting in burying both of the aircrafts main gear into the mud causing the aircraft to flip over inverted. This investigation also revealed that the refueling trucks fuel storage tank used to service this aircraft contained a large amount of water. The presence of water in this tank was a result of failing to completely purge the tank after the accomplishment of a weld repair. The fuel system of the aircraft also indicated that water was present.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) WHILE AT CRUISE, THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER AND THEN QUIT RUNNING. MR. ZAUNBRECHER THEN IMMEDIATELY DUMPED HIS LOAD OF FERTILIZER AND PREPARED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING. MR. ZAUNBRECHER LANDED HIS AIRCRAFT IN A SATURATED RICE FIELD RESULTING IN BURYING BOTH OF THE AIRCRAFTS MAIN GEAR INTO THE MUD CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO FLIP OVER INVERTED. THIS INVESTIGATION ALSO REVEALED THAT THE REFUELING TRUCKS FUEL STORAGE TANK USED TO SERVICE THIS AIRCRAFT CONTAINED A LARGE AMOUNT OF WATER. THE PRESENCE OF WATER IN THIS TANK WAS A RESULT OF FAILING TO COMPLETELY PURGE THE TANK AFTER THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF A WELD REPAIR. THE FUEL SYSTEM OF THE AIRCRAFT ALSO INDICATED THAT WATER WAS PRESENT.