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Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-16 · Bloomfield, KY · August 6, 2009

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
August 6, 2009 · 21:00 local
Place
Bloomfield, KY
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N5337H
Reported as
Piper PA16
Reported engine
Lycoming O235*
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
950 total300 in this make and model45 in the last 90 days
N5337HRegistered now · Piper PA-16S/N 16-143 · Built 1949Airframe modelPiper PA-16Engine 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) Aircraft lost power and landed in a field. The aircraft contacted a barbed wire fence on landing. Aircraft came to rest facing 180 degrees to the director of the initial landing roll and contacted a concrete pylon prior to stopping. Minor damage to landing gear, nacelle and one side of the propeller. Aircraft cockpit controls were in appropriate positions. Carburetor heat was off. Primer was locked. Flight control continuity was verified. Fuel selector was found to be selected to the right hand tank. Right hand fuel tank was found empty of fuel. Fuel was drained from the gascolator, resutling in about 1/2 cup of fuel drained. The gascolator did not fill up with fuel upon draining. The carburetor fuel inlet lin was disconnected at the carburetor and no fuel drained out. Carburetor inlet screen was checked for blockage and was found to be in normal condition. When fuel selector was switched from the right tank to the left tank, fuel immedately filled up the gascolator and ran freely out of the fuel inlet line that had been disconnected at the carburetor.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AIRCRAFT LOST POWER AND LANDED IN A FIELD. THE AIRCRAFT CONTACTED A BARBED WIRE FENCE ON LANDING. AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST FACING 180 DEGREES TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE INITIAL LANDING ROLL AND CONTACTED A CONCRETE PYLON PRIOR TO STOPPING. MINOR DAMAGE TO LANDING GEAR, NACELLE AND ONE SIDE OF THE PROPELLER. AIRCRAFT COCKPIT CONTROLS WERE IN APPROPRIATE POSITIONS. CARBURETOR HEAT WAS OFF. PRIMER WAS LOCKED. FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS VERIFIED. FUEL SELECTOR WAS FOUND TO BE SELECTED TO THE RIGHT HAND TANK. RIGHT HAND FUEL TANK WAS FOUND EMPTY OF FUEL. FUEL WAS DRAINED FROM THE GASCOLATOR, RESUTLING IN ABOUT 1/2 CUP OF FUEL DRAINED. THE GASCOLATOR DID NOT FILL UP WITH FUEL UPON DRAINING. THE CARBURETOR FUEL INLET LIN WAS DISCONNECTED AT THE CARBURETOR AND NO FUEL DRAINED OUT. CARBURETOR INLET SCREEN WAS CHECKED FOR BLOCKAGE AND WAS FOUND TO BE IN NORMAL CONDITION. WHEN FUEL SELECTOR WAS SWITCHED FROM THE RIGHT TANK TO THE LEFT TANK, FUEL IMMEDATELY FILLED UP THE GASCOLATOR AND RAN FREELY OUT OF THE FUEL INLET LINE THAT HAD BEEN DISCONNECTED AT THE CARBURETOR.