- Date
- November 13, 1997, 17:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Willmar, MN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8886JPiper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report January 30, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19971113040339A
- Case key
- 10780
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the pilot's improper planning/decision, his continued flight into known adverse weather, and subsequent fuel exhaustion, which resulted in loss of engine power, and a forced landing. Factors related to the accident were: the adverse weather conditions, the pilot's lack of an instrument flight experience, and darkness at the time of the forced landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot departed at 1100 MST. He had intended to land at Imperial, Nebraska, for fuel, but instrument weather conditions precluded him from landing. He continued to fly to his destination airport and reported there were 'no holes in the clouds' between Nebraska and Minnesota. He was flying at 11,500 feet msl. About 30 minutes from Willmar, Minnesota, he radioed a Flight Service Station and started a descent into instrument meteorological conditions. He did not possess an instrument flight rating. The pilot reported the engine lost power, but he switched fuel tanks, and the engine restarted. The engine lost power again a short time later when the airplane was about 300 feet above ground level. The pilot executed a forced landing onto a farm. The pilot reported that he 'should have just used my GPS and went in on runway 10 before I ran out of gas.'
Factual narrative
On November 13, 1997, at 1730 central standard time, a Piper PA-28-180, N8886J, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing due to fuel exhaustion. The private pilot reported no injuries. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight had departed from Pueblo Memorial Airport, Pueblo, Colorado, en route to Willmar Municipal Airport, Willmar, Minnesota, when it landed in a farmers field, 6.2 nautical miles from the Willmar Municipal Airport. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed but no flight plan had been filed.
The pilot reported that he had departed Pueblo, Colorado, at 1100 mountain standard time. He had intended to land at Imperial, Nebraska, for fuel but instrument weather conditions precluded him from landing. The pilot reported that he continued to fly to his destination airport at Willmar, Minnesota. He reported that there were "no holes in the clouds" between Nebraska and Minnesota.
The pilot reported he was flying at 11,500 feet mean sea level. When he was about 30 minutes from Willmar, Minnesota, he radioed a Flight Service Station. He started a descent into instrument meteorological conditions. The pilot did not possess an instrument flight rating.
The pilot reported that the engine failed once. He switched fuel tanks and the engine started. The engine failed again a short time later when the airplane was about 300 feet above ground level. The pilot executed a forced landing into a farmer's field. The pilot reported that he "should have just used my GPS and went in on runway 10 before I ran out of gas."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8886J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-2860
- Airframe hours
- 2,720
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- David W. Day
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 26, 1997 · 60 hours before
- Departed
- PUB · Pueblo, CO
- Destination
- ILL
- Flight plan
- VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 223 total · 223 in this make and model · 164 as pilot in command · 72 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Visibility
- 0.75 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ILL, 6 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8886J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.