What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
2021-09-29 1130L, N130GH, site visit and pilot interview. PA32 made a forced landing in a cornfield after loss of all engine power during cruise from Y63 to kbbb airport.
The pilot had departed kbwp that morning, flying to Y63 to give privacy data omitted rides. Pilot gave three separate air ride flights at Y63 (approximately 60 minutes of flying) noticing upon his third landing that he had 6.6 gallons remaining in the left main tank which holds 25 gallons.
After landing, pilot told the line person to top off the left main tank. Pilot stated that he assumed that all four tanks were full without verifying the actual quantity in any of the tanks prior to departing on the next leg.
Pilot mentioned several distractions and delays departing the airport with multiple aircraft on the surface.
The pilot then departed for kbbb climbing to 2500 MSL, (approximately 1000 AGL) in formation flight with his wing man privacy data omitted as they had previously planned for the next leg. Pilot commented that the formation flight and other airborne traffic kept distracting him with alerts on his avionics that he kept cancelling.
15 To 20 minutes into this flight, the engine suddenly lost all power and pilot initiated a glide aiming strait south for a harvested soybean field ahead. Pilot tried and unsuccessful engine restart without verifying fuel quantities or fuel selector valve position.
The aircraft did not glide FAR enough to make it to the desired landing spot and ended up in the last portion of the preceding cornfield in fully grown corn collapsing the nose gear and bending the firewall.
Pilot exited the aircraft, waved to his wing man overhead and called 911 walking out of the cornfield. Law-enforcement arrived, and so did the pilot?s mechanic. The mechanic made the aircraft safe at law enforcement?s request and checked for a presence of fuel in a fuel line at the engine and found no fuel remaining in the line.
The pilot stated that his normal fuel burn is approximately 15 gph and with the believed 6.6 gallons remaining from his last landing, that would?ve given him the 15 to 20 minute flight time described previously.
Pilot also stated that he assumed all tanks were full and did not check feeling 99% sure now that he had run on his left main tank as he normally does and ran out of fuel.
The pilot stated that he always flys on the left main tank as his normal procedure. The pilot did not change the position of the fuel selector valve from left main during this flight.
Upon inspection of the aircraft in the field, there were still 3 remaining fuel tanks that were full with fuel seeping out of the caps from expansion and the nose down attitude.
The left main tank was observed being completely empty at the crash site. The fuel selector had been moved to the off position my maintenance by law enforcement?s request of securing the aircraft for safety.
As the FAA filed it
2021-09-29 1130L, N130GH, SITE VISIT AND PILOT INTERVIEW. PA32 MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A CORNFIELD AFTER LOSS OF ALL ENGINE POWER DURING CRUISE FROM Y63 TO KBBB AIRPORT.
THE PILOT HAD DEPARTED KBWP THAT MORNING, FLYING TO Y63 TO GIVE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ RIDES. PILOT GAVE THREE SEPARATE AIR RIDE FLIGHTS AT Y63 (APPROXIMATELY 60 MINUTES OF FLYING) NOTICING UPON HIS THIRD LANDING THAT HE HAD 6.6 GALLONS REMAINING IN THE LEFT MAIN TANK WHICH HOLDS 25 GALLONS.
AFTER LANDING, PILOT TOLD THE LINE PERSON TO TOP OFF THE LEFT MAIN TANK. PILOT STATED THAT HE ASSUMED THAT ALL FOUR TANKS WERE FULL WITHOUT VERIFYING THE ACTUAL QUANTITY IN ANY OF THE TANKS PRIOR TO DEPARTING ON THE NEXT LEG.
PILOT MENTIONED SEVERAL DISTRACTIONS AND DELAYS DEPARTING THE AIRPORT WITH MULTIPLE AIRCRAFT ON THE SURFACE.
THE PILOT THEN DEPARTED FOR KBBB CLIMBING TO 2500 MSL, (APPROXIMATELY 1000 AGL) IN FORMATION FLIGHT WITH HIS WING MAN ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AS THEY HAD PREVIOUSLY PLANNED FOR THE NEXT LEG. PILOT COMMENTED THAT THE FORMATION FLIGHT AND OTHER AIRBORNE TRAFFIC KEPT DISTRACTING HIM WITH ALERTS ON HIS AVIONICS THAT HE KEPT CANCELLING.
15 TO 20 MINUTES INTO THIS FLIGHT, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER AND PILOT INITIATED A GLIDE AIMING STRAIT SOUTH FOR A HARVESTED SOYBEAN FIELD AHEAD. PILOT TRIED AND UNSUCCESSFUL ENGINE RESTART WITHOUT VERIFYING FUEL QUANTITIES OR FUEL SELECTOR VALVE POSITION.
THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT GLIDE FAR ENOUGH TO MAKE IT TO THE DESIRED LANDING SPOT AND ENDED UP IN THE LAST PORTION OF THE PRECEDING CORNFIELD IN FULLY GROWN CORN COLLAPSING THE NOSE GEAR AND BENDING THE FIREWALL.
PILOT EXITED THE AIRCRAFT, WAVED TO HIS WING MAN OVERHEAD AND CALLED 911 WALKING OUT OF THE CORNFIELD. LAW-ENFORCEMENT ARRIVED, AND SO DID THE PILOT?S MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC MADE THE AIRCRAFT SAFE AT LAW ENFORCEMENT?S REQUEST AND CHECKED FOR A PRESENCE OF FUEL IN A FUEL LINE AT THE ENGINE AND FOUND NO FUEL REMAINING IN THE LINE.
THE PILOT STATED THAT HIS NORMAL FUEL BURN IS APPROXIMATELY 15 GPH AND WITH THE BELIEVED 6.6 GALLONS REMAINING FROM HIS LAST LANDING, THAT WOULD?VE GIVEN HIM THE 15 TO 20 MINUTE FLIGHT TIME DESCRIBED PREVIOUSLY.
PILOT ALSO STATED THAT HE ASSUMED ALL TANKS WERE FULL AND DID NOT CHECK FEELING 99% SURE NOW THAT HE HAD RUN ON HIS LEFT MAIN TANK AS HE NORMALLY DOES AND RAN OUT OF FUEL.
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE ALWAYS FLYS ON THE LEFT MAIN TANK AS HIS NORMAL PROCEDURE. THE PILOT DID NOT CHANGE THE POSITION OF THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE FROM LEFT MAIN DURING THIS FLIGHT.
UPON INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT IN THE FIELD, THERE WERE STILL 3 REMAINING FUEL TANKS THAT WERE FULL WITH FUEL SEEPING OUT OF THE CAPS FROM EXPANSION AND THE NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE.
THE LEFT MAIN TANK WAS OBSERVED BEING COMPLETELY EMPTY AT THE CRASH SITE. THE FUEL SELECTOR HAD BEEN MOVED TO THE OFF POSITION MY MAINTENANCE BY LAW ENFORCEMENT?S REQUEST OF SECURING THE AIRCRAFT FOR SAFETY.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.