- Date
- July 6, 1994, 09:00 local (13:00 UTC)
- Place
- Ellisburg, NY
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5839PPiper PA-24-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 2, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940706017789A
- Case key
- 38781
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
A fuel or fuel system problem that was probably related to the pilot/owner's failure to assure proper maintenance and/or inspection of the airplane before flight. A factor related to the accident was: soft terrain in the emergency landing area.
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
While in cruise flight, the pilot switched fuel tanks to balance the fuel load. As soon as he did this, the engine began to run roughly. He returned the fuel selector to the first tank and the engine performed normally. He elected to not try switching tanks again. His fuel supply was too low to reach the destination airport with the fuel remaining in the one tank. He could not locate another airport at which to land, so he elected to perform a precautionary landing in a field. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered soft terrain and the landing gear collapsed, damaging the wing spar. The airplane was not registered and did not have an airworthiness certificate. Records indicated that the last annual inspection was performed on January 6, 1992. The pilot was interviewed the first day, but he did not respond to requests for completion of the pilot/operator aircraft accident report.
Factual narrative
On Wednesday, July 6, 1994, at 0900 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-24-180, N5839P, piloted by Robert S. Tilston, sustained substantial damage during a precautionary landing in a field in Ellisburg, New York. The pilot and three passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The airplane was in cruise flight from Leroy, New York to Alexander Bay, New York. The pilot stated that when he switched the fuel selector from the left to the right tank to balance the fuel, the engine began to run roughly. He switched the fuel selector back to the left tank, and the engine performance improved. He decided to not switch fuel tanks a second time.
He determined that the fuel quantity in the remaining tank was insufficient to reach his destination. He looked for another airport to land, but he was unable to locate one. He elected to perform a precautionary landing in a field, but during the landing roll, the airplane encountered soft terrain, and the landing gear collapsed, damaging the right wing spar.
The Federal Aviation Administration found no records of an airplane registration, nor was there an airworthiness certificate. The airplane maintenance records were located and indicated that the last annual inspection was performed on January 6, 1992.
Investigators were unable to obtain the names of the passengers, and the pilot did not respond to repeated requests for completion of NTSB Form 6120.1/2, Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5839P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24920
- Airframe hours
- 3,037
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 6, 1992
- Departed
- 5G0 · Leroy, NY
- Destination
- NONE · Alexander Bay, NY
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- None
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 N5839P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.