# NTSB ERA25LA346: Piper PA-24-180, N5759P, Ashland City, TN, September 5, 2025 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Preliminary report - Date: September 5, 2025, 16:45 local (21:45 UTC) - Place: Ashland City, TN · In a corn field - Coordinates: 36.274798, -87.080363 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.2748&lon=-87.0804&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute-cruise: Loss of engine power (partial)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Investigation ongoing - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 201003 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA25LA346 - NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/201003/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA25LA346 ## Preliminary report On September 5, 2025, at 1645 central daylight time, N5759P, a Piper Cherokee PA-24-180, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Ashland City, Tennessee. The private pilot sustained minor injuries. The flight was conducted as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot stated that he departed the St. Charles County Regional Airport/Smartt Field (SET), St. Charles, Missouri, about 1500, and was destined for John C. Thune Airport (JWN), Nashville, Tennessee. He said that as he was preparing the airplane for his arrival at JWN, he twisted the mixture control knob to the full rich position. While doing so, the engine began to run rough and lose power. The pilot contacted air traffic control, and used the Emergency Checklist to troubleshoot the loss of power. He said, “I put the fuel boost pump on, switched tanks, verified ignition was on, verified the mixture full rich, turned carb heat on and verified that the primer was in and locked. I observed about 1000 RPM and 3 GPH on the fuel totalizer. The engine felt like it was idle and unresponsive to throttle inputs.” The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and made a forced landing to a cornfield, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The airplane was recovered from the cornfield and taken to a secure facility for further examination. ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute-cruise: Loss of engine power (partial)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342) (defining event); cases with it: [Piper PA-24, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342/sequence.md?model=7102402), [All aircraft, 1,858 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342/sequence.md) - [Emergency descent: Loss of engine power (partial)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342); cases with it: [Piper PA-24, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342/sequence.md?model=7102402), [All aircraft, 1,858 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342/sequence.md) - [Landing-flare/touchdown: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440); cases with it: [Piper PA-24, 5 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md?model=7102402), [All aircraft, 3,365 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md) ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5759P](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N5759P), registered now, S/N 24-836, built 1959 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-24-180 - Registry model: [Piper PA-24](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-24) (registry code 7102402) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O&VO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (registry code 41514, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 24-836 - Year built: 1959 - Airframe hours: 3248.19 - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, September 3, 2025 - Departed: SET, St. Charles, MO - Destination: JWN, Nashville, TN - Equipment: ADS-B, Handheld GPS ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 270° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 90 °F, dew point 66 °F - Altimeter: 29.86 inHg - Observed at: KJWN, 5 nm away - METAR: METAR KJWN 052250Z 27007KT 10SM CLR 32/19 A2986= ## 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 20250905015659A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250905015659A), Sep 5, 2025: Piper PA-24, Ashland City, TN, Substantial damage. The pilot stated that he departed the st. charles county regional airport/smartt field (set), St. charles, Missouri, about 1500, and was destined for john c.… ## Other investigations on N5759P (3) 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 NYC71DNA54](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC71DNA54), Jun 8, 1971: Piper PA-24 (N5759P), Hyannis, MA, substantial damage - [NTSB NYC69D0233](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC69D0233), Oct 5, 1968: Piper PA-24 (N5759P), Montauk, NY, substantial damage - [NTSB NYC67D0208](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC67D0208), Aug 27, 1966: Piper PA-24 (N5759P), Millville, NJ, 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.