20030907021489A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-22 · Atwood, IL · September 7, 2003

Date: September 7, 2003 · 19:00 local
Place: Atwood, IL
Airport: Cooch Landing Area Airport
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N615A
NTSB investigation: NTSBCHI03LA304
Reported as: Piper PA22
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 90 total22 in this make and model8 in the last 90 days

N615ARegistered now · Piper PA-22S/N 22-18 Airframe modelPiper PA-22 Engine modelLycoming 0-290 series4 cycle

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) The airman was attempting to land on a private use grass runway. The airman mistook a soybean field for the runway and stated he was unable to go around or do a touch and go after he realized it was a bean field. The aircraft touched down and became entangled in chest high soybeans and nosed over onto its back as it came to a stop. The aircraft received substantial damage and the pilot and one passenger received no injuries.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE AIRMAN WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND ON A PRIVATE USE GRASS RUNWAY. THE AIRMAN MISTOOK A SOYBEAN FIELD FOR THE RUNWAY AND STATED HE WAS UNABLE TO GO AROUND OR DO A TOUCH AND GO AFTER HE REALIZED IT WAS A BEAN FIELD. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN AND BECAME ENTANGLED IN CHEST HIGH SOYBEANS AND NOSED OVER ONTO ITS BACK AS IT CAME TO A STOP. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER RECEIVED NO INJURIES.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CHI03LA304Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportAtwood, ILThe pilot's failure to correctly identify the location of the airport. Factors to the accident include the pilot flying while fatigued, which contributed to his misidentification of the runway, and the rough/uneven soybean field.Sep 8, 2003 · Substantial damage