Docket And Docket Items - National Transportation Safety Board: http://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
Aviation Accident Data Summary - National Transportation Safety Board: http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
http://registry.faa.gov/N6222M
NTSB Identification: CEN13LA201
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, March 15, 2013 in Winsted, MN
Probable Cause Approval Date: 11/13/2014
Aircraft: PIPER PA23-250, registration: N6222M
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot reported that the twin-engine airplane’s right engine lost power following a descent in icing conditions. The pilot’s attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful, and the pilot chose to land at an alternate airport. The airplane subsequently landed short of the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed icing on both engines’ induction air intakes and air filters. The right engine induction air filter was 100 percent obstructed, and the left engine induction air filter was about 35 percent obstructed. No further engine anomalies were found. Based on the available evidence, it is likely that the icing of the right engine’s induction air system resulted in a lack of airflow in the system, which prevented combustion and led to the subsequent loss of engine power.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The obstruction of the right engine’s induction air system by ice, which resulted in a loss of engine power.
On March 15, 2013, about 1910 central daylight time, a Piper PA23-250, N6222M, impacted terrain during a forced landing following a loss of engine power on the right engine. There were no injuries to the pilot or five passengers. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage during the forced landing. The aircraft was registered to West Metro Aviation LLC and operated by Tri-State Drilling under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a business flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The flight originated from the Jamestown Regional Airport (JMS), Jamestown, North Dakota, at 1809, and was en route to the Buffalo Municipal Airport (CFE), Buffalo, Minnesota.
The pilot reported that the takeoff, climb and cruise portions of the flight were uneventful. As the airplane descended from 9,000 feet above mean sea level (msl) it entered clouds at 7,500 feet msl, and at 7,000 feet msl it began to rain. The pilot reported that the outside air temperatures were about 50 degrees. He reported that when the airplane was between 5,000 feet msl and 3,300 feet msl moderate to severe icing was experienced and he activated the airframe de-icing system 4 to 6 time before descending below the clouds at 3,300 feet msl. He stated that he could not see through the windshield due to a thick covering of ice but that he had good visibility to each side. He reported that moments after he cancelled his IFR flight plan the right engine lost power. He attempted to restart the engine, including switching fuel tanks, activating the alternate air system, and using both hot and cold start procedures to no avail. At this point the pilot attempted to fly to an alternate airport to land. Due to the ice accumulation on the airframe, the airplane landed short of the intended alternate airport.
Examination of the airplane after the accident revealed icing of the induction air intake and air filter of both engines. The right induction air filter was 100 percent obstructed and the left induction air filter was about 35 percent obstructed. No further anomalies were found with respect to either engine.
The engine had an electronic engine monitor installed. The unit was retained for possible download of any recorded data. It was found that the unit did not have recording capability.
NTSB Identification: CEN13LA201
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, March 15, 2013 in Winsted, MN
Aircraft: PIPER PA23-250, registration: N6222M
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On March 15, 2013, about 1910 central daylight time, a Piper PA-23-250, N6222M, impacted terrain during a forced landing following a loss of engine power on the right engine. There were no injuries to the pilot or five passengers. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage during the forced landing. The aircraft was registered to West Metro Aviation LLC and operated by Tri-State Drilling under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a business flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan. The flight originated from the Jamestown Regional Airport (JMS), Jamestown, North Dakota, at 1809, and was en route to the Buffalo Municipal Airport (CFE), Buffalo, Minnesota.
WINSTED, Minn. (KMSP) - A pilot had to make an emergency landing into a field in Winsted on Saturday, elevating the heart rate of the pilot and the farmer whose field served as his landing pad.
All six people in the plane walked away safely, and farmer Wally Kerber told FOX 9 he was glad the plane landed where it did, even though the airport was not too far away.
"It was a good thing he landed out there," Kerber said. "Plenty of room, as long as he didn't crash."
Kerber has had nightmares about planes crashing into his Winsted farm over the years.
On Saturday morning, he came out to see his nightmare was just narrowly averted.
A pilot deftly maneuvered this Piper fixed-wing aircraft into an emergency farm field landing after he lost one of the engines in mid flight Friday evening.
"I just hoped that if plane went down, it didn't go into my building there, they were plenty far away," Kerber said.
FAA investigators as well as the McLeod County sheriff's office were on scene Saturday morning.
The plane is owned by West Metro Aviation was en route from Jamestown, North Dakota heading to nearby Buffalo.
A full load of six people, most of them employees of a local drilling company, were on board.
The failed engine combined with icing on the plane forced the pilot to act decisively.
It's unclear why he couldn't make it all the way to Winsted Municipal Airport, no more than a mile away, but he chose Kerber's soybean field.
A representative with the plane's ownership told FOX 9 that this is the kind of landing pilots practice over and over and are thankful for the outcome.
Kerber is no aviation expert, but thinks all the snow out here probably helped in providing a softer landing.
Winsted area pilots said the plane's landing was remarkable: The pilot was able to belly flop their aircraft and manage to avoid flipping it over. Over a year ago, an Eden Prairie man was killed with the small plane he was flying crashed in that very same area.
