What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On September 5, 2018 at approximately 1830 EDT, (2230 UTC), a Piper model PA-32-260 (cherokee six) aircraft registered to a flying club in fort wayne, Indiana and operated by a private pilot who was receiving flight instruction was involved in an off airport landing in a cornfield approximately one half mile east of the appraoch end of runway 27 at the Goshen Municipal Airport at Goshen, Indiana. The aircraft received only minor damage as a result of this landing. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the instructional flight which originated from the de kalb county airport (kgwb) located at auburn, Indiana. The private pilot and flight instructor received no injuries from this flight.
The pilot reported that he departed for Goshen, Indiana from auburn, Indiana for the purpose of conducting takeoffs and landings. The pilot stated that there were a few rain showers in the airea but they did not interfere with this flight. The pilot reported that the flight from auburn to Goshen only took about 20 minutes. The pilot was asked how much fuel he had departed with to which he stated that he tookoff with each main tank about 1 inch below the fuel tank tabs.
The pilot reported to investigators that he was making his approach to Goshen?s runway 27 at about 2500 feet. He reduced power and started to descend. Upon reaching 1400 feet he reported adding power to stop the descent as he felt he was getting too low. He reported that when he pushed the throttle forward the engine did not respond. At that point he applied carb heat but the engine did not respond. The pilot reported that it seemed the engine had been shut off. The pilot stated that he set up for a landing in the cornfield just prior to ruynway 27.
Onsite investigation revealed the aircraft appeared to land normally in the cornfield on all three wheels. The aircraft contacted the corn stalks and came to a stop approximately 330 feet beyond the initial contact point. The aircraft came to rest on all three landing gear as a normal landing. Damage to the airframe was limited to only the left wing leading edge with only minor dents. The firewall, main spar and fuselage showed no signs of structural damage. The left fuel tank?s fuel level was observed at about 1 inch below the tab in the tank. The fuel level in the right tank was less than what could be seen while looking directly into the fuel tank. All that could be seen was bare metal. Maintenance personnel confirmed less than one gallon was removed from this tank. The fuel tank selector in the cockpit has the following selections: off, left aux, left main, right main, right aux. The fuel selector in the cockpit was selected to the left main tank position which had the most amount of fuel as observed visually during the onsite investigation.
Investigators advised the pilot that the aircraft could now be moved. The pilot made arrangements for a local mechanic to check the aircraft and area and to prepare the aircraft for movement to the Goshen airport. The mechanic was asked if it would be safe to start the engine and run it up before moving the aircraft. This would help determine if carb icing was an issue. The mecahnic prepared the aircraft for a brief engine run. The pilot proceeded to start the engine. When the fuel pump was turned on, fumes followed by fuel pouring out of the bottom of the cowling was observed. The engine start attempt was immediately halted and the top engine cowling was removed. A large amount of fuel was observed on various parts of the engine compartment with a very strong smell of avgas present. The pilot was asked to turn on only the fuel pump. At that time the mechanic and investigators observed avgas spraying from two different fuel line connections. Both connections were checked and both were found to be completely loose with no effort needed to turn the connections to tighten them.
As the FAA filed it
ON SEPTEMBER 5, 2018 AT APPROXIMATELY 1830 EDT, (2230 UTC), A PIPER MODEL PA-32-260 (CHEROKEE SIX) AIRCRAFT REGISTERED TO A FLYING CLUB IN FORT WAYNE, INDIANA AND OPERATED BY A PRIVATE PILOT WHO WAS RECEIVING FLIGHT INSTRUCTION WAS INVOLVED IN AN OFF AIRPORT LANDING IN A CORNFIELD APPROXIMATELY ONE HALF MILE EAST OF THE APPRAOCH END OF RUNWAY 27 AT THE GOSHEN MUNICIPAL AIRPORT AT GOSHEN, INDIANA. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED ONLY MINOR DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF THIS LANDING. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT WHICH ORIGINATED FROM THE DE KALB COUNTY AIRPORT (KGWB) LOCATED AT AUBURN, INDIANA. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR RECEIVED NO INJURIES FROM THIS FLIGHT.
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE DEPARTED FOR GOSHEN, INDIANA FROM AUBURN, INDIANA FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONDUCTING TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS. THE PILOT STATED THAT THERE WERE A FEW RAIN SHOWERS IN THE AIREA BUT THEY DID NOT INTERFERE WITH THIS FLIGHT. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE FLIGHT FROM AUBURN TO GOSHEN ONLY TOOK ABOUT 20 MINUTES. THE PILOT WAS ASKED HOW MUCH FUEL HE HAD DEPARTED WITH TO WHICH HE STATED THAT HE TOOKOFF WITH EACH MAIN TANK ABOUT 1 INCH BELOW THE FUEL TANK TABS.
THE PILOT REPORTED TO INVESTIGATORS THAT HE WAS MAKING HIS APPROACH TO GOSHEN?S RUNWAY 27 AT ABOUT 2500 FEET. HE REDUCED POWER AND STARTED TO DESCEND. UPON REACHING 1400 FEET HE REPORTED ADDING POWER TO STOP THE DESCENT AS HE FELT HE WAS GETTING TOO LOW. HE REPORTED THAT WHEN HE PUSHED THE THROTTLE FORWARD THE ENGINE DID NOT RESPOND. AT THAT POINT HE APPLIED CARB HEAT BUT THE ENGINE DID NOT RESPOND. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT IT SEEMED THE ENGINE HAD BEEN SHUT OFF. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE SET UP FOR A LANDING IN THE CORNFIELD JUST PRIOR TO RUYNWAY 27.
ONSITE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO LAND NORMALLY IN THE CORNFIELD ON ALL THREE WHEELS. THE AIRCRAFT CONTACTED THE CORN STALKS AND CAME TO A STOP APPROXIMATELY 330 FEET BEYOND THE INITIAL CONTACT POINT. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON ALL THREE LANDING GEAR AS A NORMAL LANDING. DAMAGE TO THE AIRFRAME WAS LIMITED TO ONLY THE LEFT WING LEADING EDGE WITH ONLY MINOR DENTS. THE FIREWALL, MAIN SPAR AND FUSELAGE SHOWED NO SIGNS OF STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. THE LEFT FUEL TANK?S FUEL LEVEL WAS OBSERVED AT ABOUT 1 INCH BELOW THE TAB IN THE TANK. THE FUEL LEVEL IN THE RIGHT TANK WAS LESS THAN WHAT COULD BE SEEN WHILE LOOKING DIRECTLY INTO THE FUEL TANK. ALL THAT COULD BE SEEN WAS BARE METAL. MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL CONFIRMED LESS THAN ONE GALLON WAS REMOVED FROM THIS TANK. THE FUEL TANK SELECTOR IN THE COCKPIT HAS THE FOLLOWING SELECTIONS: OFF, LEFT AUX, LEFT MAIN, RIGHT MAIN, RIGHT AUX. THE FUEL SELECTOR IN THE COCKPIT WAS SELECTED TO THE LEFT MAIN TANK POSITION WHICH HAD THE MOST AMOUNT OF FUEL AS OBSERVED VISUALLY DURING THE ONSITE INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATORS ADVISED THE PILOT THAT THE AIRCRAFT COULD NOW BE MOVED. THE PILOT MADE ARRANGEMENTS FOR A LOCAL MECHANIC TO CHECK THE AIRCRAFT AND AREA AND TO PREPARE THE AIRCRAFT FOR MOVEMENT TO THE GOSHEN AIRPORT. THE MECHANIC WAS ASKED IF IT WOULD BE SAFE TO START THE ENGINE AND RUN IT UP BEFORE MOVING THE AIRCRAFT. THIS WOULD HELP DETERMINE IF CARB ICING WAS AN ISSUE. THE MECAHNIC PREPARED THE AIRCRAFT FOR A BRIEF ENGINE RUN. THE PILOT PROCEEDED TO START THE ENGINE. WHEN THE FUEL PUMP WAS TURNED ON, FUMES FOLLOWED BY FUEL POURING OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE COWLING WAS OBSERVED. THE ENGINE START ATTEMPT WAS IMMEDIATELY HALTED AND THE TOP ENGINE COWLING WAS REMOVED. A LARGE AMOUNT OF FUEL WAS OBSERVED ON VARIOUS PARTS OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WITH A VERY STRONG SMELL OF AVGAS PRESENT. THE PILOT WAS ASKED TO TURN ON ONLY THE FUEL PUMP. AT THAT TIME THE MECHANIC AND INVESTIGATORS OBSERVED AVGAS SPRAYING FROM TWO DIFFERENT FUEL LINE CONNECTIONS. BOTH CONNECTIONS WERE CHECKED AND BOTH WERE FOUND TO BE COMPLETELY LOOSE WITH NO EFFORT NEEDED TO TURN THE CONNECTIONS TO TIGHTEN THEM.