# NTSB CHI99LA065: Piper PA-32-260, N40712, St. Charles, IL, January 17, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: January 17, 1999, 14:45 local (20:45 UTC) - Place: St. Charles, IL - Coordinates: 41.920074, -88.300231 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.9201&lon=-88.3002&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 4 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 7, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 45614 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI99LA065 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/45614/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99LA065 ## Probable cause A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Also causal was the pilot's inadequate preflight/planning preparation which led to inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions and him becoming lost/disoriented. Contributing to the accident were the low ceiling, his lack of recent experience in instrument flying and the snow covered field. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight encounter with weather, cruise - preflight planning/preparation - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - vfr flight into imc - inadvertent, pilot in command (contributing factor) - weather condition - low ceiling (contributing factor) - became lost/disoriented - inadvertent, pilot in command (contributing factor) - lack of recent experience in type operation, pilot in command (contributing factor) - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, cruise - fluid,fuel - exhaustion (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - In flight collision with terrain/water, emergency landing - terrain condition - snow covered (contributing factor) ## Analysis The pilot said that he was returning to the airport where the flight originated because he encountered bad weather. When reaching the vicinity of the Lewis/Lockport Airport, Romeoville, Illinois, the pilot said that there were low ceilings over the airport which prohibited him from landing there. He then noted that he was running low on fuel. The pilot said that he was unsure of his position, but would attempt to find the Dupage County Airport, West Chicago, Illinois. When reaching the Dupage Airport area, the pilot said that the ceilings were low there too. The pilot said that he was just about to declare an emergency, when his airplane ran out of fuel. He spotted a large field and performed a forced landing. No fuel was observed in any of the airplane's four fuel tanks. Examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies. ## Factual narrative On January 17, 1999, at 1445 central standard time, a Piper PA- 32-260, N40712, operated by a private pilot, lost engine power during cruise flight. During the subsequent forced landing, the airplane sustained substantial damage when it impacted into a corn field. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. There was no flight plan on file. The pilot and three passengers on board the airplane reported no injuries. The cross-country flight originated at Chicago/Romeoville, Illinois, at 1200 cst, and was en route to Mt. Vernon, Illinois. In his statement, taken by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors, the pilot said that just south of Champaign, Illinois, the weather started to deteriorate, so he elected to return to the Lewis/Lockport Airport, Romeoville, Illinois, where his flight originated. When reaching the vicinity of the Lewis/Lockport Airport, the pilot said that there were lower ceilings (overcast cloud cover) over the airport which prohibited him landing there. He then noted that he was running low on fuel. The pilot said he was unsure of his position, but would attempt to find the Dupage County Airport, West Chicago, Illinois. When reaching the Dupage Airport area, the pilot said that the ceilings were low there too. He was 600 feet above the ground. The pilot said that he was just about to declare an emergency, when his airplane ran out of fuel. He spotted a large field and performed a forced landing. The pilot said he touched down on the main wheels. The nose gear and right main landing gear collapsed during the landing roll. Federal Aviation Administration inspectors examined the airplane at the accident site. The airplane was found resting upright in an open, snow-covered field, 3 miles west of St. Charles, Illinois, and 10 miles west of the Dupage County Airport. The airplane's nose gear was bent aft and under the forward fuselage. The bottom portion of the engine cowling was pushed inward and cracked. The lower firewall was bent aft and buckled outward. The engine mounts were bent downward. Both propeller blades were bent aft. No fuel was observed in any of the airplane's four fuel tanks. Flight control continuity was confirmed. Examination of the engine, engine controls, and other airplane systems revealed no anomalies. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N40712](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N40712-2012-09-18), registration cancelled 2012-09-18, S/N 32-7400021, built 1973 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-32-260 - Registry model: [Piper PA-32-260](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32-260) (registry code 7103206) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-540 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (registry code 41532, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 32-7400021 - Airframe hours: 2072 - Engines: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 260 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Valdemaras Bylaitis - Registered owner: First American Realtors, Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, March 1, 1998, 18 hours before - Departed: LOT, CHICAGO, IL - Destination: MVN, MT. VERNON, IL ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 56; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; seat: left; flight hours: 766 total, 63 in this make and model, 609 as pilot in command, 5 in the last 90 days, 5 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Instrument (IMC), Day - Wind: 170° at 16 knots - Visibility: 2 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 400 ft overcast - Temperature: 37 °F, dew point 34 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: DPA, 10 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19990117005469A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990117005469A), Jan 17, 1999: Piper PA32260, St Charles, IL, Substantial damage. (.19) On January 17, 1999, at 1445 central standard time, a Piper PA-32-260, N40712, operated by a private pilot, lost engine power during cruise flight.… ## Other investigations on N40712 (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB CHI84LA265](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI84LA265), Jun 25, 1984: Piper PA-32-260 (N40712), Kankakee, IL, substantial damage From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.