20080205834019A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-22-108 · Opelousas, LA · February 5, 2008

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal NTSB investigation search

Date: February 5, 2008 · 19:00 local
Place: Opelousas, LA
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N4515Z
Reported as: Piper PA22108
Reported engine: Lycoming O320B1B
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 4,000 total300 in this make and model30 in the last 90 days

N4515ZRegistration cancelled Jun 8, 2017 · Piper PA-22-108S/N 22-8017 · Built 1961 Airframe modelPiper PA-22-108 Engine modelLycoming 0-235 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 commercially rated pilot experienced difficulty changing fuel valve position between tanks. Engine starved of fuel during this action. Due to low altitude, pilot elected to execute emergency landing into a wheat field, were the nose gear collapsed, the aircraft came to rest up side down. Subsequent investigation by NTSB indicated fuel valve data plate attachment hardware had vibrated loose, causing normal fuel valve operation to be restricted.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE COMMERCIALLY RATED PILOT EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY CHANGING FUEL VALVE POSITION BETWEEN TANKS. ENGINE STARVED OF FUEL DURING THIS ACTION. DUE TO LOW ALTITUDE, PILOT ELECTED TO EXECUTE EMERGENCY LANDING INTO A WHEAT FIELD, WERE THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED, THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST UP SIDE DOWN. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION BY NTSB INDICATED FUEL VALVE DATA PLATE ATTACHMENT HARDWARE HAD VIBRATED LOOSE, CAUSING NORMAL FUEL VALVE OPERATION TO BE RESTRICTED.