What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
2021-09-06-N105BJ-accident Fairmont, MN2021-09-06 date of accident, N105BJ, kfrm, Fairmont, MN. 2021-10-19-N105BJ-accident site visit. Note; late site visit due to aircraft being stuck in the tree tops for over a month waiting for crop removal.
Two brothers met up to go flying, on a sunny light wind day. The airplane is parked in a shared hangar, where they have their own door access at the kfrm airport. They were out for a joy ride to see who had already cut their corn for the season. They took off rwy 13 and flew around the local area for 45 min. They entered the left downwind at 1800-2000 ft MSL for rwy 13 with the intent of a full stop. They had already turned base and were in a descending left turn to final, when a loud ?bang? Was heard and the engine started ?screaming?. The PIC reached over and shut off the engine, he knew the sound as 25 years ago in his initial training in this model they had a similar failure and glided one in. The PIC rolled wings level and aimed for the rwy, they were over hundreds of acres of corn field with about a 15 acres of woods off to their right. They were approximately a half mile final to rwy 13, with the grove of trees below them and to the right. He remembers saying to his brother that he did not think they would make it to the runway, when all of a sudden the aircraft rolled right and nose-dived into the forest. The PIC stated he should have been looking at his airspeed not just the runway in the distance. He stated he knew the aircraft stalled and rolled right as he had gotten slow. His brother told him that was the smoothest landing he had ever had with him, but then the fuel started running down on them from the fractured right wing and they knew they needed to get out. They were 40 feet in the air, out the right door was a 40 foot drop, the PIC opened the left door and there was a branch. He stepped out onto it and then hugged it with his arms and legs and started shimming down as it scraped away at his bare arms. He then hollered up at his brother to give it a go. A little ways down the brother?s foot got stuck in a ?v?. He struggled for a bit but was able to go back up a little and pull the foot free. He had a sweat shirt on so he just held tight and slid down without getting scraped up. The PIC is in his 70S, the brother similar, both around 5 ft 8 in and 150-165 lbs. Cell phones were on belt clips and were lost on the forest floor during the descent. The brothers proceeded to walk a half mile back to the airport and spoke with someone, borrowed a phone and contacted the airport manager.
They departed, leaving the airplane in the tree and not contacting law enforcement. A few hours later someone noticed the plane in the top of the forest and called 911 launching rescue agencies. After a while it was discovered the aircraft was empty.
The aircraft was left in the tree tops as the crop owner would not allow for destruction of the crop for recovery. Once the corn was picked, 40 days after the accident, the aircraft was craned out of the tops of the trees.
As the FAA filed it
2021-09-06-N105BJ-ACCIDENT FAIRMONT, MN2021-09-06 DATE OF ACCIDENT, N105BJ, KFRM, FAIRMONT, MN. 2021-10-19-N105BJ-ACCIDENT SITE VISIT. NOTE; LATE SITE VISIT DUE TO AIRCRAFT BEING STUCK IN THE TREE TOPS FOR OVER A MONTH WAITING FOR CROP REMOVAL.
TWO BROTHERS MET UP TO GO FLYING, ON A SUNNY LIGHT WIND DAY. THE AIRPLANE IS PARKED IN A SHARED HANGAR, WHERE THEY HAVE THEIR OWN DOOR ACCESS AT THE KFRM AIRPORT. THEY WERE OUT FOR A JOY RIDE TO SEE WHO HAD ALREADY CUT THEIR CORN FOR THE SEASON. THEY TOOK OFF RWY 13 AND FLEW AROUND THE LOCAL AREA FOR 45 MIN. THEY ENTERED THE LEFT DOWNWIND AT 1800-2000 FT MSL FOR RWY 13 WITH THE INTENT OF A FULL STOP. THEY HAD ALREADY TURNED BASE AND WERE IN A DESCENDING LEFT TURN TO FINAL, WHEN A LOUD ?BANG? WAS HEARD AND THE ENGINE STARTED ?SCREAMING?. THE PIC REACHED OVER AND SHUT OFF THE ENGINE, HE KNEW THE SOUND AS 25 YEARS AGO IN HIS INITIAL TRAINING IN THIS MODEL THEY HAD A SIMILAR FAILURE AND GLIDED ONE IN. THE PIC ROLLED WINGS LEVEL AND AIMED FOR THE RWY, THEY WERE OVER HUNDREDS OF ACRES OF CORN FIELD WITH ABOUT A 15 ACRES OF WOODS OFF TO THEIR RIGHT. THEY WERE APPROXIMATELY A HALF MILE FINAL TO RWY 13, WITH THE GROVE OF TREES BELOW THEM AND TO THE RIGHT. HE REMEMBERS SAYING TO HIS BROTHER THAT HE DID NOT THINK THEY WOULD MAKE IT TO THE RUNWAY, WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED RIGHT AND NOSE-DIVED INTO THE FOREST. THE PIC STATED HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT HIS AIRSPEED NOT JUST THE RUNWAY IN THE DISTANCE. HE STATED HE KNEW THE AIRCRAFT STALLED AND ROLLED RIGHT AS HE HAD GOTTEN SLOW. HIS BROTHER TOLD HIM THAT WAS THE SMOOTHEST LANDING HE HAD EVER HAD WITH HIM, BUT THEN THE FUEL STARTED RUNNING DOWN ON THEM FROM THE FRACTURED RIGHT WING AND THEY KNEW THEY NEEDED TO GET OUT. THEY WERE 40 FEET IN THE AIR, OUT THE RIGHT DOOR WAS A 40 FOOT DROP, THE PIC OPENED THE LEFT DOOR AND THERE WAS A BRANCH. HE STEPPED OUT ONTO IT AND THEN HUGGED IT WITH HIS ARMS AND LEGS AND STARTED SHIMMING DOWN AS IT SCRAPED AWAY AT HIS BARE ARMS. HE THEN HOLLERED UP AT HIS BROTHER TO GIVE IT A GO. A LITTLE WAYS DOWN THE BROTHER?S FOOT GOT STUCK IN A ?V?. HE STRUGGLED FOR A BIT BUT WAS ABLE TO GO BACK UP A LITTLE AND PULL THE FOOT FREE. HE HAD A SWEAT SHIRT ON SO HE JUST HELD TIGHT AND SLID DOWN WITHOUT GETTING SCRAPED UP. THE PIC IS IN HIS 70S, THE BROTHER SIMILAR, BOTH AROUND 5 FT 8 IN AND 150-165 LBS. CELL PHONES WERE ON BELT CLIPS AND WERE LOST ON THE FOREST FLOOR DURING THE DESCENT. THE BROTHERS PROCEEDED TO WALK A HALF MILE BACK TO THE AIRPORT AND SPOKE WITH SOMEONE, BORROWED A PHONE AND CONTACTED THE AIRPORT MANAGER.
THEY DEPARTED, LEAVING THE AIRPLANE IN THE TREE AND NOT CONTACTING LAW ENFORCEMENT. A FEW HOURS LATER SOMEONE NOTICED THE PLANE IN THE TOP OF THE FOREST AND CALLED 911 LAUNCHING RESCUE AGENCIES. AFTER A WHILE IT WAS DISCOVERED THE AIRCRAFT WAS EMPTY.
THE AIRCRAFT WAS LEFT IN THE TREE TOPS AS THE CROP OWNER WOULD NOT ALLOW FOR DESTRUCTION OF THE CROP FOR RECOVERY. ONCE THE CORN WAS PICKED, 40 DAYS AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE AIRCRAFT WAS CRANED OUT OF THE TOPS OF THE TREES.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.