20200220004289I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-22-160 · Indiantown, FL · February 20, 2020

Date: February 20, 2020 · 13:05 local
Place: Indiantown, FL
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N9410D
Reported as: Piper PA-22-160
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 280 total90 in this make and model

N9410DRegistration cancelled Sep 16, 2020 · Piper PA-22-160S/N 22-6384 · Built 1958 Airframe modelPiper PA-22-160 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

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.

Airmen stated that he was flying in the vicinity of Indiantown airport (X58) at cruise when the engine started to sputter. He switched the fuel selector valve from the left tank to the right tank. The low fuel light came on and shortly after the engine stopped. He landed the aircraft in a field below him east of Indiantown and southwest of stuart (ksua). The momentum on the ground after landing eventually led him and the aircraft to fall in to a canal that ran perpendicular to his landing ground track. The airman egressed the aircraft with assistance from a bystander who swam to assist him out of the aircraft. The aircraft was examined by an inspector and an A&P on scene and both fuel tanks did not contain fuel. The likely cause of the incident was fuel exhaustion.

As the FAA filed it

AIRMEN STATED THAT HE WAS FLYING IN THE VICINITY OF INDIANTOWN AIRPORT (X58) AT CRUISE WHEN THE ENGINE STARTED TO SPUTTER. HE SWITCHED THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE FROM THE LEFT TANK TO THE RIGHT TANK. THE LOW FUEL LIGHT CAME ON AND SHORTLY AFTER THE ENGINE STOPPED. HE LANDED THE AIRCRAFT IN A FIELD BELOW HIM EAST OF INDIANTOWN AND SOUTHWEST OF STUART (KSUA). THE MOMENTUM ON THE GROUND AFTER LANDING EVENTUALLY LED HIM AND THE AIRCRAFT TO FALL IN TO A CANAL THAT RAN PERPENDICULAR TO HIS LANDING GROUND TRACK. THE AIRMAN EGRESSED THE AIRCRAFT WITH ASSISTANCE FROM A BYSTANDER WHO SWAM TO ASSIST HIM OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS EXAMINED BY AN INSPECTOR AND AN A&P ON SCENE AND BOTH FUEL TANKS DID NOT CONTAIN FUEL. THE LIKELY CAUSE OF THE INCIDENT WAS FUEL EXHAUSTION.