- Date
- April 8, 1990, 10:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Forsyth, MT
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5628UPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900408007629A
- Case key
- 17915
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
An unexplained loss of engine power. A factor was the rough unsuitable terrain in which the forced landing was made.
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 private pilot took off from a hay field with calm winds. He said the engine quit during initial climb, and he made a forced landing across an old railroad bed. During landing roll, the plane crossed the raised gravel bed and sheared the left main landing gear, the nose gear and damaged the engine mount and firewall. The pilot said he thought water in the fuel had caused the engine to quit, but no water was found in the system during the investigation. A post accident engine run by an A&P mechanic failed to reveal any evidence to explain the reported engine stoppage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5628U
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-26424
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John & Donna Stanford
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 56
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 500 total · 500 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
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 N5628U · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.