# Accident 20181020020419A: Piper PA-22-108, Brownstown, IN, October 20, 2018 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: October 20, 2018, 00:30 local time - Place: Brownstown, IN - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 38.8428° N, 86.0639° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.8428&lon=-86.0639&mi=10 - Aircraft: N5581Z, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5581Z-2022-06-14) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-22-108 (registry code 7102204, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-22-108) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-235 series (registry code 41505, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-22-108 - Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-235 SERIES - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Student - Pilot flight hours: 80 total, 80 in this make and model, 2 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA19LA022](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA19LA022) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20181020020419A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON OCTOBER 20, 2018 AT APPROXIMATELY 12:30 A.M. EASTERN STANDARD TIME (0430 UNIVERSAL TIME) A PIPER PA 22-108 COLT, N5581Z, IMPACTED TERRAIN AFTER THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER FOLLOWED BY AN ENGINE FAILURE DURING CRUISE FLIGHT IN THE JACKSON-WASHINGTON STATE FOREST LOCATED SOUTH OF BROWNSTOWN, INDIANA. THE STUDENT PILOT WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT, AND SUSTAINED NO INJURIES IN THE CRASH. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED BY THE COLLISION WITH TREES DURING DESCENT AND GROUND IMPACT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 AS A PERSONAL FLIGHT. NIGHT MARGINAL VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE STUDENT PILOT STATED HE DID NOT FILE A FLIGHT PLAN. THE FLIGHT WAS ENROUTE FROM THE INDIANAPOLIS REGIONAL AIRPORT TO THE CROSSVILLE TENNESSEE AIRPORT, CROSSVILLE, TENNESSEE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE STUDENT PILOT STATED HE WAS WEST OF COLUMBUS, INDIANA NAVIGATING AROUND THE MILITARY OPERATION AREAS AT 2600 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL WHEN HE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER FOLLOWED BY AN ENGINE FAILURE. AFTER EXPERIENCING THE LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER AND ENGINE FAILURE, THE STUDENT STATED HE CYCLED THE MASTER SWITCH FROM THE ?SPARE FUSE? POSITION, THEN MOMENTARILY TO THE ?OFF? POSITION AND UP TO THE ?MAIN FUSE? POSITION. (THE PILOT?S NORMAL OPERATION PROCEDURE IS TO HAVE THE MASTER SWITCH IN THE ?SPARE FUSE? POSITION.) SELECTING THE ?MAIN FUSE? POSITION DID NOT RESTORE ELECTRICAL POWER TO THE AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS. HE ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE ENGINE BY PLACING THE MAGNETO SWITCH TO THE ?OFF? POSITION, AND CYCLED THROUGH THE MAGNETO SWITCH TO THE ?START? POSITION TO ENGAGE THE STARTER. HE STATED THE ENGINE DID NOT START SO HE CYCLED THE MASTER SWITCH BACK TO THE ?SPARE FUSE? POSITION TO ATTEMPT ANOTHER UNSUCCESSFUL ENGINE START. ELECTRICAL POWER WAS NOT RESTORED IN THE ?SPARE FUSE? SWITCH POSITION. THE STUDENT PILOT STATED PRIOR TO THE ELECTRICAL FAILURE, THE NAVIGATION LIGHTS, STROBE LIGHT, LANDING AND TAXI LIGHTS, COCKPIT LIGHTING AND PANEL LIGHTS WERE ON. THE AIRCRAFT?S ELECTRICAL POWER SOURCES COME FROM A 24-VOLT DC (DIRECT CURRENT) BATTERY AND A DC GENERATOR PROTECTED BY A 25 AMP CIRCUIT BREAKER. PRIOR TO THE ENGINE FAILURE, THE POWER SETTING WAS 2250 RPMS (75% POWER), THE MIXTURE CONTROL WAS PULLED OUT ABOUT ONE INCH, AND ONE HALF TO THREE FOURTHS OF CARBURETOR HEAT HAD BEEN APPLIED. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB ERA19LA022](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA19LA022), Oct 20, 2018: Piper PA22 (N5581Z), Brownstown, IN, destroyed. Probable cause: The total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.