What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On July 28, 2011, the albany flight standards district office, investigated an accident of N7365P, a Piper PA-24-250 (comanche). The aircraft impacted a large piece of driftwood on a gravel embankment of the susquehanna river while on approach to the Sidney Airport (N23) approximately ½ mile from the airport. The owner and sole occupant of the aircraft sustained severe injuries which required hospitalization. The aircraft sustained substantial damage from impact, and there was no post accident fire. The aircraft wreckage was contained in one location at coordinates N42 18 53.3 and W075 23 59.9 on a heading of 289 degrees. All major aircraft components were accounted for. Witnesses say they saw the aircraft flying low, but could not tell if the engine was working before impacting the ground in the river. Review of the propeller showed no rotational scoring, which would be consistent with an engine that was not producing power. Instead, straight line scoring was observed on the propeller, pointing to the fact that the engine was not producing power. The left wing was partially separated from the aircraft, and both main, and aux tanks were breached and no fuel was present. The right wing was still attached to the fuselage, but was bent and partially torn at the leading edge. The main tank was found to be empty, and the aux tank was found to have approximately two gallons of fuel remaining. When the fuel was siphoned, the sample appeared to be blue in color, consistent with aviation 100LL, and no contamination was noted. The sample that was taken from the engine firewall fuel sump, appeared to be brown in color, with many particles of contamination observed. The odor of the substance did not smell like fuel, and the substance is consistent with dirty water. No clean fuel was recovered from the engine sump. The engine dipstick showed that the engine had oil, and the prop was able to be moved, to verify that the engine had not seized. Examination of the interior revealed that the fuel selector was on the left aux tank, and all other gauges appeared to be intact. The emergency locator transmitter was still in the armed position, and was turned off at the scene by FAA inspectors. Also the aircraft main battery was disconnected from the negative terminal by inspectors at the scene. Communication with the NTSB was accomplished via cell phone, and after concurrence with the NTSB iic, the accident aircraft was released to the owner for recovery.
As the FAA filed it
ON JULY 28, 2011, THE ALBANY FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE, INVESTIGATED AN ACCIDENT OF N7365P, A PIPER PA-24-250 (COMANCHE). THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED A LARGE PIECE OF DRIFTWOOD ON A GRAVEL EMBANKMENT OF THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER WHILE ON APPROACH TO THE SIDNEY AIRPORT (N23) APPROXIMATELY ½ MILE FROM THE AIRPORT. THE OWNER AND SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SEVERE INJURIES WHICH REQUIRED HOSPITALIZATION. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE FROM IMPACT, AND THERE WAS NO POST ACCIDENT FIRE.THE AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE WAS CONTAINED IN ONE LOCATION AT COORDINATES N42 18 53.3 AND W075 23 59.9 ON A HEADING OF 289 DEGREES. ALL MAJOR AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS WERE ACCOUNTED FOR.WITNESSES SAY THEY SAW THE AIRCRAFT FLYING LOW, BUT COULD NOT TELL IF THE ENGINE WAS WORKING BEFORE IMPACTING THE GROUND IN THE RIVER. REVIEW OF THE PROPELLER SHOWED NO ROTATIONAL SCORING, WHICH WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH AN ENGINE THAT WAS NOT PRODUCING POWER. INSTEAD, STRAIGHT LINE SCORING WAS OBSERVED ON THE PROPELLER, POINTING TO THE FACT THAT THE ENGINE WAS NOT PRODUCING POWER.THE LEFT WING WAS PARTIALLY SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT, AND BOTH MAIN, AND AUX TANKS WERE BREACHED AND NO FUEL WAS PRESENT. THE RIGHT WING WAS STILL ATTACHED TO THE FUSELAGE, BUT WAS BENT AND PARTIALLY TORN AT THE LEADING EDGE. THE MAIN TANK WAS FOUND TO BE EMPTY, AND THE AUX TANK WAS FOUND TO HAVE APPROXIMATELY TWO GALLONS OF FUEL REMAINING. WHEN THE FUEL WAS SIPHONED, THE SAMPLE APPEARED TO BE BLUE IN COLOR, CONSISTENT WITH AVIATION 100LL, AND NO CONTAMINATION WAS NOTED.THE SAMPLE THAT WAS TAKEN FROM THE ENGINE FIREWALL FUEL SUMP, APPEARED TO BE BROWN IN COLOR, WITH MANY PARTICLES OF CONTAMINATION OBSERVED. THE ODOR OF THE SUBSTANCE DID NOT SMELL LIKE FUEL, AND THE SUBSTANCE IS CONSISTENT WITH DIRTY WATER. NO CLEAN FUEL WAS RECOVERED FROM THE ENGINE SUMP.THE ENGINE DIPSTICK SHOWED THAT THE ENGINE HAD OIL, AND THE PROP WAS ABLE TO BE MOVED, TO VERIFY THAT THE ENGINE HAD NOT SEIZED. EXAMINATION OF THE INTERIOR REVEALED THAT THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS ON THE LEFT AUX TANK, AND ALL OTHER GAUGES APPEARED TO BE INTACT. THE EMERGENCY LOCATOR TRANSMITTER WAS STILL IN THE ARMED POSITION, AND WAS TURNED OFF AT THE SCENE BY FAA INSPECTORS. ALSO THE AIRCRAFT MAIN BATTERY WAS DISCONNECTED FROM THE NEGATIVE TERMINAL BY INSPECTORS AT THE SCENE.COMMUNICATION WITH THE NTSB WAS ACCOMPLISHED VIA CELL PHONE, AND AFTER CONCURRENCE WITH THE NTSB IIC, THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT WAS RELEASED TO THE OWNER FOR RECOVERY.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.