What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) N396TA was on an IFR flight plan from Q99 to mry. At 2400 ft., on vectors for an ILS approach, while in and out of clouds, the pilot stated that his airspeed and altimeter started hanging up and jumping up and down. The OAT was about 5 degrees centigrade and the pitot heat was on. He got a vector back toward kwvi from mry approach. At 2000 ft., in the clear, the engine stopped (rotating). There were open newly plowed fields below. He stated that he tried restarting the engine about three times before he had to land in one of the fields. The field was soft mud. Evidence shows that when the nose wheel came down the aircraft skipped with the nose wheel contacting the ground approximately 25 ft. later, digging in, losing the fairing, and causing the aircraft to flip inverted and land inverted along the same axis about 30 ft. farther on. The engine was separated about 2 ft. from the firewall and lying upside down in the cowling. The pilot and lone occupant of the aircraft exited unharmed. There was blue fuel stain evidence of fuel leakage at the fuel vent on the left wing and fuel dripping from the wing. The ground beneath was wet with fuel. This was two days after the event, indicating fuel was not an issue.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) N396TA WAS ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN FROM Q99 TO MRY. AT 2400 FT., ON VECTORS FOR AN ILS APPROACH, WHILE IN AND OUT OF CLOUDS, THE PILOT STATED THAT HIS AIRSPEED AND ALTIMETER STARTED HANGING UP AND JUMPING UP AND DOWN. THE OAT WAS ABOUT 5 DEGREES CENTIGRADE AND THE PITOT HEAT WAS ON. HE GOT A VECTOR BACK TOWARD KWVI FROM MRY APPROACH. AT 2000 FT., IN THE CLEAR, THE ENGINE STOPPED (ROTATING). THERE WERE OPEN NEWLY PLOWED FIELDS BELOW. HE STATED THAT HE TRIED RESTARTING THE ENGINE ABOUT THREE TIMES BEFORE HE HAD TO LAND IN ONE OF THE FIELDS. THE FIELD WAS SOFT MUD. EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT WHEN THE NOSE WHEEL CAME DOWN THE AIRCRAFT SKIPPED WITH THE NOSE WHEEL CONTACTING THE GROUND APPROXIMATELY 25 FT. LATER, DIGGING IN, LOSING THE FAIRING, AND CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO FLIP INVERTED AND LAND INVERTED ALONG THE SAME AXIS ABOUT 30 FT. FARTHER ON. THE ENGINE WAS SEPARATED ABOUT 2 FT. FROM THE FIREWALL AND LYING UPSIDE DOWN IN THE COWLING. THE PILOT AND LONE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRCRAFT EXITED UNHARMED. THERE WAS BLUE FUEL STAIN EVIDENCE OF FUEL LEAKAGE AT THE FUEL VENT ON THE LEFT WING AND FUEL DRIPPING FROM THE WING. THE GROUND BENEATH WAS WET WITH FUEL. THIS WAS TWO DAYS AFTER THE EVENT, INDICATING FUEL WAS NOT AN ISSUE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.