CEN19LA311

The student pilot reported that he recently fueled the airplane with fuel from an external supply tank on his ranch. On the day of the accident, the pilot taxied the airplane to a north-south road and started the takeoff roll to the north. The airplane lifted off and climbed to about 40 ft above ground level when the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot made a left turn to land in a parallel field; the airplane landed hard and came to rest upright, sustaining substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. Postaccident examination revealed a significant amount of water in the carburetor and in the airplane's fuel tanks. Water was also found in the supply tank from which the pilot fueled the airplane. The pilot reported that he did not check the airplane's fuel tanks for contamination before departing on the flight, nor had he checked the fuel supply tank for contamination. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with a total loss of engine power due to water contamination of the fuel system.

On September 10, 2019, about 1230 central daylight time, a Cessna 172, N5347T, impacted terrain shortly after takeoff from a road near Grassy Butte, North Dakota. The pilot sustained serious injuries and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to (registration expired) and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan had been filed. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident. According to local law enforcement and the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot used the airplane to monitor the cattle on his ranch. The pilot stated that he was departing from the road to the north and climbed to about 40 ft above ground level when the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot made a left turn and landed hard in the field parallel to the road. Figure 1 shows the airplane where it came to rest in the field. Figure 1 – The accident airplane upright in a field The FAA inspector completed a preliminary examination of the airplane. He reported that a significant amount of water was found in the carburetor and the airplane's fuel tanks. Also, water was found in the supply fuel tank from which the pilot fueled the airplane. A local mechanic who had possession of the maintenance logbooks stated that a recent annual inspection had not been completed and the airplane was not in good shape overall. After the accident the pilot stated that before takeoff he did not check the airplane's fuel tanks for contamination nor did he check the external fuel supply tank for contamination.