20020716015639A

Accident · No damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-28-161 · Burns, OR · July 16, 2002

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal NTSB investigation search

Date: July 16, 2002 · 17:05 local
Place: Burns, OR
Airport: Burns Municipal Airport
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: No damage
Aircraft: N1284H
Reported as: Piper PA28161

N1284HRegistration cancelled Oct 21, 2023 · Piper PA-28-161S/N 28-7716010 Airframe modelPiper PA-28-161

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) On arrival at planned destination (bend, Oregon), pilot was unable to find the airport due to heavy smoke from forest fires nearby. He decided to fly to Burns, Oregon because of better visibility in that area. Enroute to Burns, the aircraft ran out of fuel and the engine quit. The pilot landed in a field but the landing area had large boulders and the aircraft was damaged during landing. Damage was to the propeller, all three landing gear, both wings and the underside of the fuselage. The site of the accident was just eight miles west of Burns airport.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON ARRIVAL AT PLANNED DESTINATION (BEND, OREGON), PILOT WAS UNABLE TO FIND THE AIRPORT DUE TO HEAVY SMOKE FROM FOREST FIRES NEARBY. HE DECIDED TO FLY TO BURNS, OREGON BECAUSE OF BETTER VISIBILITY IN THAT AREA. ENROUTE TO BURNS, THE AIRCRAFT RAN OUT OF FUEL AND THE ENGINE QUIT. THE PILOT LANDED IN A FIELD BUT THE LANDING AREA HAD LARGE BOULDERS AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DAMAGED DURING LANDING. DAMAGE WAS TO THE PROPELLER, ALL THREE LANDING GEAR, BOTH WINGS AND THE UNDERSIDE OF THE FUSELAGE. THE SITE OF THE ACCIDENT WAS JUST EIGHT MILES WEST OF BURNS AIRPORT.