What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The accident occurred on September 22, 2020 at approximately 3:30PM central daylight time. The pilot in command (PIC) of N3298M was engaged in aerial application operations under a valid CFR part 137 operating certificate. At the time of the accident, the aerial application was being conducted 14.5 statute miles east/northeast from mckellar-sipes regional airport/Jackson, TN (mkl). The PIC stated that he was pulling up from his last swath run before returning to mkl when the engine failed. The PIC elected to attempt an emergency landing on highway 20 eastbound. An on scene post-accident investigation conducted by the memphis flight standards district office revealed that the landing gear collapsed upon touchdown. The aircraft veered off into the right ditch where the right wing struck a tree causing the aircraft to abruptly yaw to the right. The aircraft came to rest perpendicular to the roadway and nose down into the tree line parallel to the road. The pilot was uninjured. No post-accident fire occurred and no odor of fuel was present at the site. The application payload was exhausted. The aircraft was moved off the roadway to a safer location about 100 yards to the east of the crash site for further examination. The right and left fuel tank appeared to be intact. Removal of the fuel tank inspection panels showed zero fuel in either of the tanks. Inspection of the main fuel line at the firewall revealed only a trace amount of fuel. Inspection of the high pressure fuel line between the high pressure pump and the fuel control unit revealed only a trace amount of fuel.
Probable cause of the accident was found to be the PIC?s failure to maintain adequate airspeed resulting in loss of control during an emergency landing after an engine failure. The major contributing factor was the engine failure, caused by fuel exhaustion.
As the FAA filed it
THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON SEPTEMBER 22, 2020 AT APPROXIMATELY 3:30PM CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME. THE PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC) OF N3298M WAS ENGAGED IN AERIAL APPLICATION OPERATIONS UNDER A VALID CFR PART 137 OPERATING CERTIFICATE. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, THE AERIAL APPLICATION WAS BEING CONDUCTED 14.5 STATUTE MILES EAST/NORTHEAST FROM MCKELLAR-SIPES REGIONAL AIRPORT/JACKSON, TN (MKL). THE PIC STATED THAT HE WAS PULLING UP FROM HIS LAST SWATH RUN BEFORE RETURNING TO MKL WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED. THE PIC ELECTED TO ATTEMPT AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON HIGHWAY 20 EASTBOUND. AN ON SCENE POST-ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION CONDUCTED BY THE MEMPHIS FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE REVEALED THAT THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED UPON TOUCHDOWN. THE AIRCRAFT VEERED OFF INTO THE RIGHT DITCH WHERE THE RIGHT WING STRUCK A TREE CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO ABRUPTLY YAW TO THE RIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST PERPENDICULAR TO THE ROADWAY AND NOSE DOWN INTO THE TREE LINE PARALLEL TO THE ROAD. THE PILOT WAS UNINJURED. NO POST-ACCIDENT FIRE OCCURRED AND NO ODOR OF FUEL WAS PRESENT AT THE SITE. THE APPLICATION PAYLOAD WAS EXHAUSTED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS MOVED OFF THE ROADWAY TO A SAFER LOCATION ABOUT 100 YARDS TO THE EAST OF THE CRASH SITE FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION. THE RIGHT AND LEFT FUEL TANK APPEARED TO BE INTACT. REMOVAL OF THE FUEL TANK INSPECTION PANELS SHOWED ZERO FUEL IN EITHER OF THE TANKS. INSPECTION OF THE MAIN FUEL LINE AT THE FIREWALL REVEALED ONLY A TRACE AMOUNT OF FUEL. INSPECTION OF THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL LINE BETWEEN THE HIGH PRESSURE PUMP AND THE FUEL CONTROL UNIT REVEALED ONLY A TRACE AMOUNT OF FUEL.
PROBABLE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT WAS FOUND TO BE THE PIC?S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL DURING AN EMERGENCY LANDING AFTER AN ENGINE FAILURE. THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE ENGINE FAILURE, CAUSED BY FUEL EXHAUSTION.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.