20220108001199A

01/09/2022

AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER IN THE PATTERN AT YOUNGSTOWN LANDSDOWNE AIRPORT (04G). PILOT ATTEMPTED TO GET THE AIRCRAFT TO RUNWAY 02 BUT OVERSHOT IT AND ENDED UP HITTING A SMALL TREE AND HEAVY BRUSH ABOUT 30-50 YARDS FROM THE END OF RUNWAY 20. AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST AT A 90 DEGREE ANGLE TO THE GROUND HANGING ON A TREE WITH THE LEFT WING RESTING ON THE GROUND. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND THE AIRCRAFT APPEARS TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. DAMAGE WAS LOCATED ON THE LEFT WING, RIGHT WING AND FUSELAGE.

INTERVIEWED THE PILOT BY PHONE. PILOT STATES HE WENT OUT TO CHECK THE ADS-B WITH YOUNGSTOWN APPROACH AND TO MAKE A SHORT SIGHT SEEING TRIP AROUND THE AREA. DURING THE PREFLIGHT THE FUEL WAS CHECKED AND FOUND TO BE, LEFT SIDE ABOUT HALF FULL AND THE RIGHT SIDE APPEARED ALMOST EMPTY. THIS WAS VERIFIED WITH THE FUEL GAUGES. PILOT STATES HE ADDED APPROXIMATELY 4 GALLONS TO THE RIGHT TANK.

THE ENGINE RUN-UP APPEARED NORMAL AND THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED LANDSDOWNE FOR THE LOCAL FLIGHT. PILOT STATES HE SPOKE TO YOUNGSTOWN APPROACH CONTROL ABOUT THE ADS-B AND THE REST OF THE FLIGHT SEEMED NORMAL.

PILOT BEGAN TO ENTER THE PATTERN AT LANDSDOWNE AIRPORT (04G) AFTER BEING AIRBORNE APPROXIMATELY 30 MINS. AS HE APPROACHED ABEAM THE TOUCHDOWN ZONE FOR RUNWAY 02 HE REDUCED THE THROTTLE AND APPLIED THE CARBURETOR HEAT THE ENGINE QUIT. PILOT ATTEMPTED TO PUMP THE THROTTLE AND THE ENGINE SEEMED TO GET SOME POWER BUT IT ULTIMATELY QUIT WITHOUT ANY RETURN OF POWER.

PILOT TURNED TOWARDS RUNWAY 02 IN AN ATTEMPT TO LAND, APPLIED FULL FLAPS AND WAS NOT ABLE TO GET DOWN TO THE RUNWAY IN THE SPACE AVAILABLE. AIRCRAFT WAS ALMOST STALLED AS IT IMPACTED THE TREE AND BRUSH.

01/12/2022 AIRCRAFT WAS BROUGHT DOWN FROM THE TREES BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. INSPECTOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND I WENT BACK TO INSPECT THE AIRPLANE FURTHER. CHECKING THE FUEL TANKS VISUALLY, THE LEFT SIDE HAD SOME FUEL AND THE RIGHT SIDE APPEARED TO BE EMPTY. GAUGES SHOWED ALMOST ZERO FOR THE RIGHT SIDE AND BETWEEN A QUARTER AND EMPTY ON THE LEFT WE WERE ABLE TO DRAIN FUEL FROM THE FUEL SUMP DRAINS. FROM THE RIGHT SIDE ABOUT A QUART AND THE LEFT SIDE AT LEAST A QUART. FUEL FROM BOTH APPEARED TO BE FREE OF ANY CONTAMINATES. WE DRAINED FUEL FROM THE SUMP DRAIN IN THE NOSE UNTIL IT STOPPED DRAINING. ABOUT 4 GALLONS WAS COLLECTED IN A PLASTIC CONTAINER. ENGINE CONTROLS WERE CHECKED FOR FULL TRAVEL AND CONTINUITY. ALL ENGINE CONTROLS APPEARED TO BE WORKING PROPERLY. THE INTAKE FILTER HAD SOME RESIDUAL WATER IN IT WHEN SQUEEZED, NOT SURE IF IT WAS DUE TO THE MISTY RAIN OR REMNANTS OF CARBURETOR ICING. ENGINE WAS FREE WHEN TURNED THROUGH BY THE PROPELLER. WE ATTEMPTED TO START THE ENGINE AND IT APPEARED TO HAVE SPARK AND IT TRIED TO START BUT DID NOT AFTER A FEW ATTEMPTS. FUEL COULD BE SEEN DRIPPING FROM THE CARB AFTER PRIMING SEVERAL TIMES. THE OIL LEVEL APPEARED TO BE 6- 6 1/2 QUARTS. THE ENGINE WAS VISUALLY INSPECTED AND APPEARED NORMAL. OTHER DAMAGE WAS LOCATED JUST BEHIND THE REAR WINDOW WHERE THE FUSELAGE BUCKLED, THE LEFT WING WAS BENT AT THE TIP WHERE IT WAS RESTING ON IT IN THE TREE. THE LEADING EDGE AND TRAILING EDGE OF THE LEFT WING WAS DAMAGED. THE LEFT WING FLAP WAS ALSO DAMAGED AND APPEARED TO BE TWISTED. THE WHOLE LEFT WING HAD WRINKLES IN THE SURFACE SKIN. THE RIGHT WING HAD DAMAGE TO THE LEADING EDGE AND FLAPS. THE FRONT WINDSCREEN WAS MISSING A CHUNK OUT OF THE TOP MIDDLE PART AND THE PROPELLER WAS BENT SLIGHTLY BACK ON ONE BLADE.