What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On 05/20/2026, aircraft privacy data omitted arrived at a scheduled fungicide application site. The aircraft sprayed 140 acres with no issues with the aircraft. Upon completion of the spraying operation, the aircraft started its return to the home airfield to refill the spraying tanks with fungicide for additional scheduled spraying. The aircraft made a climb to 500 feet AGL. Approx. 1 minute later, the engine shut down for no apparent reason. The pilot initiated the electric fuel boost pump but did not have the altitude or time to initiate the ignitors. The propeller was already feathering. A off field landing was the only option at this point.
The pilot located an open hay field which was the only option due to the already low altitude. The pilot made his landing in the field. The rough terrain of the land made braking intermittent due to bouncing. The right wing made contact with tree branches which resulted in the aircraft making a sharp turn to the right and coming to a complete stop. The engine propeller never impacted the ground during this event. The damage to the aircraft was limited to the right-hand wing tip area due to contact with a tree and the aft fuselage was bent and had damaged fairings and structure in the tail wheel area due to the hard impact of the ground during the landing event. After the initial site and damage survery, the aircraft was moved via flatbed truck to the owner's airfield. Prior to moving the aircraft, fuel was drained and tested for contamination. There 48 gallons of fuel remaining which was sufficient for the remaining flight and there was no indication of fuel contamination. Once the aircraft was back at the owner's airfield, fuel filters were check for contamination with none noted.
A direct fuel source to the engine was connected using the same fuel source as the original fuel load to test engine operation. The engine was operated numerous times at different power settings and for varied durations with no anomalies. All engine parameters were normal during all engine runs with no indications of any fuel issues.
An inspection of the inside of the wing fuel tanks was accomplished. This inspection revealed that there were several large flakes of fuel tank internal sealant which has come loose from the internal skin and was obstructing the right-hand fuel feed hose and with the lower fuel quantity of 48 gallons left on board and a momentary time in climb of uncoordinated flight from coming out of a spraying maneuver to a return home flight, put the aircraft in a situation of a temporary engine fuel starvation with no time to restart due to the low altitude. No other issues were found with aircraft engine or systems as all operated normally during tests at the owners airfield.
As the FAA filed it
ON 05/20/2026, AIRCRAFT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ARRIVED AT A SCHEDULED FUNGICIDE APPLICATION SITE. THE AIRCRAFT SPRAYED 140 ACRES WITH NO ISSUES WITH THE AIRCRAFT. UPON COMPLETION OF THE SPRAYING OPERATION, THE AIRCRAFT STARTED ITS RETURN TO THE HOME AIRFIELD TO REFILL THE SPRAYING TANKS WITH FUNGICIDE FOR ADDITIONAL SCHEDULED SPRAYING. THE AIRCRAFT MADE A CLIMB TO 500 FEET AGL. APPROX. 1 MINUTE LATER, THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THE PILOT INITIATED THE ELECTRIC FUEL BOOST PUMP BUT DID NOT HAVE THE ALTITUDE OR TIME TO INITIATE THE IGNITORS. THE PROPELLER WAS ALREADY FEATHERING. A OFF FIELD LANDING WAS THE ONLY OPTION AT THIS POINT.
THE PILOT LOCATED AN OPEN HAY FIELD WHICH WAS THE ONLY OPTION DUE TO THE ALREADY LOW ALTITUDE. THE PILOT MADE HIS LANDING IN THE FIELD. THE ROUGH TERRAIN OF THE LAND MADE BRAKING INTERMITTENT DUE TO BOUNCING. THE RIGHT WING MADE CONTACT WITH TREE BRANCHES WHICH RESULTED IN THE AIRCRAFT MAKING A SHARP TURN TO THE RIGHT AND COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE ENGINE PROPELLER NEVER IMPACTED THE GROUND DURING THIS EVENT. THE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIMITED TO THE RIGHT-HAND WING TIP AREA DUE TO CONTACT WITH A TREE AND THE AFT FUSELAGE WAS BENT AND HAD DAMAGED FAIRINGS AND STRUCTURE IN THE TAIL WHEEL AREA DUE TO THE HARD IMPACT OF THE GROUND DURING THE LANDING EVENT. AFTER THE INITIAL SITE AND DAMAGE SURVERY, THE AIRCRAFT WAS MOVED VIA FLATBED TRUCK TO THE OWNER'S AIRFIELD. PRIOR TO MOVING THE AIRCRAFT, FUEL WAS DRAINED AND TESTED FOR CONTAMINATION. THERE 48 GALLONS OF FUEL REMAINING WHICH WAS SUFFICIENT FOR THE REMAINING FLIGHT AND THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF FUEL CONTAMINATION. ONCE THE AIRCRAFT WAS BACK AT THE OWNER'S AIRFIELD, FUEL FILTERS WERE CHECK FOR CONTAMINATION WITH NONE NOTED.
A DIRECT FUEL SOURCE TO THE ENGINE WAS CONNECTED USING THE SAME FUEL SOURCE AS THE ORIGINAL FUEL LOAD TO TEST ENGINE OPERATION. THE ENGINE WAS OPERATED NUMEROUS TIMES AT DIFFERENT POWER SETTINGS AND FOR VARIED DURATIONS WITH NO ANOMALIES. ALL ENGINE PARAMETERS WERE NORMAL DURING ALL ENGINE RUNS WITH NO INDICATIONS OF ANY FUEL ISSUES.
AN INSPECTION OF THE INSIDE OF THE WING FUEL TANKS WAS ACCOMPLISHED. THIS INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL LARGE FLAKES OF FUEL TANK INTERNAL SEALANT WHICH HAS COME LOOSE FROM THE INTERNAL SKIN AND WAS OBSTRUCTING THE RIGHT-HAND FUEL FEED HOSE AND WITH THE LOWER FUEL QUANTITY OF 48 GALLONS LEFT ON BOARD AND A MOMENTARY TIME IN CLIMB OF UNCOORDINATED FLIGHT FROM COMING OUT OF A SPRAYING MANEUVER TO A RETURN HOME FLIGHT, PUT THE AIRCRAFT IN A SITUATION OF A TEMPORARY ENGINE FUEL STARVATION WITH NO TIME TO RESTART DUE TO THE LOW ALTITUDE. NO OTHER ISSUES WERE FOUND WITH AIRCRAFT ENGINE OR SYSTEMS AS ALL OPERATED NORMALLY DURING TESTS AT THE OWNERS AIRFIELD.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.