# Incident 20201011020319I: Piper PA-46-310P, Farmington, MO, October 11, 2020

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 11, 2020, 12:35 local time
- Place: Farmington, MO
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.7825° N, 90.4273° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Farmington, MO, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.7825&lon=-90.4273&mi=10
- Aircraft: N315WF, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N315WF-2026-05-23) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-46-310P (registry code 7104605, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-46-310p) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental TSIO-520 series (registry code 17040, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-520-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-46-310P
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR TSIO-550-C
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 5,998 total, 633 in this make and model, 210 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20201011020319I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON OCTOBER 11, 2020 AIRCRAFT N315WF OPERATING UNDER PART 91, DEPARTED FROM KLAF (PURDUE UNIVERSITY AIRPORT, LAFAYETTE, INDIANA) AND WAS ENROUTE TO KTKI (MCKINNEY NATIONAL AIRPORT, DALLAS, TEXAS).

PREFLIGHT, STARTUP, TAXI AND TAKEOFF PROCEEDED NORMALLY. AIRCRAFT CLIMB TO 14000 PER FLIGHTPLAN, CRUISE CHECKLIST WAS COMPLETED, ENGINE TEMPS, VIBRATION AND POWER WERE NORMAL.

APPROXIMATELY TWO HOURS ENROUTE AND ROUGHLY ABEAM THE FAM (FARMINGTON, MO) VOR, THE ENGINE STUMBLED MOMENTARILY, THEN APPROXIMATELY 30-60 SECONDS LATER IT STARTED RUNNING ROUGHLY.

THE PILOT STATED THAT HE EXAMINED THE JPI INSTRUMENT NOTICED THE #2 CYLINDER EXHAUST GAS TEMPERATURE (EGT) WAS LOW AND CYLINDER HEAD TEMPERATURE (CHT) WAS FALLING.

THE PILOT STATED THAT HE INFORMED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC) OF THE SITUATION AND SOUGHT OUT AN ALTERNATE LANDING LOCATION. THE PILOT REQUESTED TO TURN BACK TO KSUS (SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS MO AIRPORT) KNOWING MAINTENANCE SERVICES WERE PROVIDED ON THE AIRPORT. ATC CLEARED N315WF FOR KSUS.

THE PILOT STARTED A LEFT TURN TO KSUS BUT IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THE AIRPORT WAS TOO FAR AWAY. THE PILOT THEN COMMITTED TO (KFAM) FARMINGTON, MO REGIONAL AIRPORT WHICH WAS 35NM AWAY.

WHILE ENROUTE TO KFAM THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO PRODUCE POWER.

ATC DECLARED AN EMERGENCY ON BEHALF OF THE PILOT AND CLEARED N315WF FOR A VISUAL LANDING AT KFAM (FARMINGTON, MO AIRPORT). APPROXIMATELY 4 TO 5 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT THE PILOT INTENTIONALLY KEEP ALTITUDE AND SPEED DURING HIS APPROACH INTO KFAM.

APPROXIMATELY 3-4 MILES FROM KFAM THE ENGINE COUGHED ONCE AGAIN AND CEASED PRODUCING POWER. THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY RETRACTED THE LANDING GEAR. THE PILOT MANIPULATED THE ENGINE CONTROLS TO SEE IF POWER COULD BE RESTORED BUT NOTHING CHANGED. THE PILOT SLOWED N315WF TO BEST GLIDE AND REALIZING HE WOULD NOT MAKE THE AIRPORT.

A SUITABLE OFF FIELD LANDING SITE WAS LOCATED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF US HWY 67. N315WF CROSSED THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 50-100 AGL AND MADE A FINAL 40 DEGREE ALIGNMENT TURN AND LANDED WITH GEAR UP, FULL FLAPS, UNDER CONTROL AND WINGS LEVEL. THE AIRPLANE STAYED INTACT AND SLID APPROXIMATELY 140 YARDS UNTIL STOPPING WITH A SLIGHT RIGHT FINAL TURN.

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.

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