What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Narrative of flight and accident of privacy data omitted – September 19, 2024
• At approximately 2:00 pm the pilot arrived at Culpeper Regional Airport to fly privacy data omitted to home base at privacy data omitted, Fredericksburg, VA 22406
• After checking in with the mechanic, the pilot pre-flighted the airplane and took off on runway 04. The pilot climbed to 3000 MSL over the airport and circled for approximately 20-minutes to check all systems.
• The pilot departed the traffic pattern east southeast toward home base.
• Approximately 5-NM west of home base, the pilot began a descent from 3000 MSL to pattern altitude.
• Upon reaching 1500 MSL, 3 NM west of home base, the engine quit.
• The pilot located a pasture one-half mile north of his position to land the airplane. The pilot relied on years of training to perform emergency landing procedures.
• The pilot turned a left base, added flaps and landed to the west over a row of what appeared to be 80-foot all trees.
• Upon touchdown, the pilot saw that there were powerlines and another row of trees approximately 400-feet ahead.
• The pilot still had “flying speed”, so the pilot pulled the nose of the airplane up and flew over the powerlines and trees.
• There was a smaller pasture ahead so the pilot sat the airplane down in that pasture. The pilot saw the rappahannock river ahead and estimated there was too much speed to stop before going into the river.
• The pilot attempted to “ground loop” the airplane to the left, away from the river, by stomping on the left rudder and brake. Upon turning left, the ground had a steep decline into a ravine filled with trees.
• Although the airplane had slowed, the pilot had no ability to steer or stop and it rolled into the ravine and was stopped by contacting the trees.
• The pilot was unable to exit the airplane through the left door which was jammed. The pilot exited the right door, dropped to the ground and crawled up and out of the ravine into the pasture.
Note: additional information: drained approximately 5 ounces of fuel from the fuel sump- gascolator and carburetor. Verified no contaminants or water present. Confirmed both left- and right-hand wing fuel tanks were empty.
Performed engine inspection with the following satisfactory results:
Compression check of cylinders (4), operational checked left and right magnetos (2), verified rocker arms operated normally, inspected spark plugs (4), inspected ignition harness, borescope engine cylinders (4), borescope exhaust system, verified no contaminants in the oil filter and housing. Verified carburetor screen with no known contaminants.
An inspection of the maintenance logbooks revealed that all inspections
Were current as of September 19, 2024.
As the FAA filed it
NARRATIVE OF FLIGHT AND ACCIDENT OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ – SEPTEMBER 19, 2024
• AT APPROXIMATELY 2:00 PM THE PILOT ARRIVED AT CULPEPER REGIONAL AIRPORT TO FLY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TO HOME BASE AT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, FREDERICKSBURG, VA 22406
• AFTER CHECKING IN WITH THE MECHANIC, THE PILOT PRE-FLIGHTED THE AIRPLANE AND TOOK OFF ON RUNWAY 04. THE PILOT CLIMBED TO 3000 MSL OVER THE AIRPORT AND CIRCLED FOR APPROXIMATELY 20-MINUTES TO CHECK ALL SYSTEMS.
• THE PILOT DEPARTED THE TRAFFIC PATTERN EAST SOUTHEAST TOWARD HOME BASE.
• APPROXIMATELY 5-NM WEST OF HOME BASE, THE PILOT BEGAN A DESCENT FROM 3000 MSL TO PATTERN ALTITUDE.
• UPON REACHING 1500 MSL, 3 NM WEST OF HOME BASE, THE ENGINE QUIT.
• THE PILOT LOCATED A PASTURE ONE-HALF MILE NORTH OF HIS POSITION TO LAND THE AIRPLANE. THE PILOT RELIED ON YEARS OF TRAINING TO PERFORM EMERGENCY LANDING PROCEDURES.
• THE PILOT TURNED A LEFT BASE, ADDED FLAPS AND LANDED TO THE WEST OVER A ROW OF WHAT APPEARED TO BE 80-FOOT ALL TREES.
• UPON TOUCHDOWN, THE PILOT SAW THAT THERE WERE POWERLINES AND ANOTHER ROW OF TREES APPROXIMATELY 400-FEET AHEAD.
• THE PILOT STILL HAD “FLYING SPEED”, SO THE PILOT PULLED THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE UP AND FLEW OVER THE POWERLINES AND TREES.
• THERE WAS A SMALLER PASTURE AHEAD SO THE PILOT SAT THE AIRPLANE DOWN IN THAT PASTURE. THE PILOT SAW THE RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER AHEAD AND ESTIMATED THERE WAS TOO MUCH SPEED TO STOP BEFORE GOING INTO THE RIVER.
• THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO “GROUND LOOP” THE AIRPLANE TO THE LEFT, AWAY FROM THE RIVER, BY STOMPING ON THE LEFT RUDDER AND BRAKE. UPON TURNING LEFT, THE GROUND HAD A STEEP DECLINE INTO A RAVINE FILLED WITH TREES.
• ALTHOUGH THE AIRPLANE HAD SLOWED, THE PILOT HAD NO ABILITY TO STEER OR STOP AND IT ROLLED INTO THE RAVINE AND WAS STOPPED BY CONTACTING THE TREES.
• THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO EXIT THE AIRPLANE THROUGH THE LEFT DOOR WHICH WAS JAMMED. THE PILOT EXITED THE RIGHT DOOR, DROPPED TO THE GROUND AND CRAWLED UP AND OUT OF THE RAVINE INTO THE PASTURE.
NOTE: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: DRAINED APPROXIMATELY 5 OUNCES OF FUEL FROM THE FUEL SUMP- GASCOLATOR AND CARBURETOR. VERIFIED NO CONTAMINANTS OR WATER PRESENT. CONFIRMED BOTH LEFT- AND RIGHT-HAND WING FUEL TANKS WERE EMPTY.
PERFORMED ENGINE INSPECTION WITH THE FOLLOWING SATISFACTORY RESULTS:
COMPRESSION CHECK OF CYLINDERS (4), OPERATIONAL CHECKED LEFT AND RIGHT MAGNETOS (2), VERIFIED ROCKER ARMS OPERATED NORMALLY, INSPECTED SPARK PLUGS (4), INSPECTED IGNITION HARNESS, BORESCOPE ENGINE CYLINDERS (4), BORESCOPE EXHAUST SYSTEM, VERIFIED NO CONTAMINANTS IN THE OIL FILTER AND HOUSING. VERIFIED CARBURETOR SCREEN WITH NO KNOWN CONTAMINANTS.
AN INSPECTION OF THE MAINTENANCE LOGBOOKS REVEALED THAT ALL INSPECTIONS
WERE CURRENT AS OF SEPTEMBER 19, 2024.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.