NTSB Identification: CEN15CA033
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, October 26, 2014 in Quincy, IL
Probable Cause Approval Date: 02/11/2015
Aircraft: PIPER PA-23-250, registration: N62791
Injuries: 4 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot reported that the airplane departed with 122 gallons of fuel for the cross-country flight from Destin, Florida, to Quincy, Illinois. The airplane's two inboard wing fuel tanks, each having a 36 gallon capacity, were completely full before departure; however, in order to keep the airplane below its maximum gross weight at departure, the two outboard wing fuel tanks were each partially fueled with 25 gallons. The pilot reported that the inboard fuel tanks were used for engine startup, taxi, takeoff, and climb to the initial cruise altitude assigned by air traffic control. After reaching the initial cruise altitude, he switched to the outboard fuel tanks and leaned the mixture setting for optimal fuel consumption. About 2 hours into the flight, the pilot switched back to the inboard fuel tanks after the engines had consumed the useable fuel in the two outboard fuel tanks. The pilot reported that when the flight was about 7 miles from the destination airport, descending through 3,500 feet mean sea level, the right engine lost total power. The pilot feathered the right propeller, secured the right engine, and continued toward the planned destination. Shortly thereafter, the left engine lost total power and the pilot feathered the propeller and secured the engine. The pilot reported that he delayed extending the landing gear until the airplane cleared a row of trees that bordered the harvested soybean field that he selected for the forced landing. After clearing the trees, the pilot attempted to extend the landing gear by moving the landing gear selector handle to the down position; however, because the left engine was inoperative, a normal landing gear extension with the engine driven hydraulic pump was not possible. The pilot immediately attempted to extend the landing gear using the emergency hand-pump, but the airplane impacted terrain before the landing gear was fully extended. Upon contact with the terrain, the nose and left main landing gear collapsed. The left wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage during the forced landing.
A postaccident examination of the airplane established that the inboard and outboard fuel tanks were void of any useable fuel. The pilot reported that the accident flight was about 4 hours 20 minutes in duration and that fuel exhaustion was the reason that both engines had lost total power. Before departing on the accident flight, he estimated that the flight would require about 118 gallons of fuel, and as such, there would be about 4 gallons of fuel remaining at the completion of the flight. However, after the accident, the pilot acknowledged that he failed to account for the 6.8 gallons of unusable fuel within the fuel system. Additionally, the airplane was equipped with an emergency carbon-dioxide blowdown system that the pilot could have used to rapidly extend the landing gear instead of the more laborious and time consuming emergency hand-pump. The pilot did not offer an explanation on why he chose to use the emergency hand-pump instead of the carbon-dioxide blowdown system. Had the landing gear been fully extended before landing, it is likely that the landing gear would not have collapsed.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's improper fuel management, which resulted in the total loss of power to both engines due to fuel exhaustion and the subsequent forced landing in a field. Also causal to the accident was the pilot's decision to use the slower emergency hand-pump to extend the landing gear instead of the available carbon-dioxide blowdown system, which resulted in a landing without the landing gear fully extended.
The pilot reported that the airplane departed with 122 gallons of fuel for the cross-country flight from Destin, Florida, to Quincy, Illinois. The airplane's two inboard wing fuel tanks, each having a 36 gallon capacity, were completely full before departure; however, in order to keep the airplane below its maximum gross weight at departure, the two outboard wing fuel tanks were each partially fueled with 25 gallons. The pilot reported that the inboard fuel tanks were used for engine startup, taxi, takeoff, and climb to the initial cruise altitude assigned by air traffic control. After reaching the initial cruise altitude, he switched to the outboard fuel tanks and leaned the mixture setting for optimal fuel consumption. About 2 hours into the flight, the pilot switched back to the inboard fuel tanks after the engines had consumed the useable fuel in the two outboard fuel tanks. The pilot reported that when the flight was about 7 miles from the destination airport, descending through 3,500 feet mean sea level, the right engine lost total power. The pilot feathered the right propeller, secured the right engine, and continued toward the planned destination. Shortly thereafter, the left engine lost total power and the pilot feathered the propeller and secured the engine. The pilot reported that he delayed extending the landing gear until the airplane cleared a row of trees that bordered the harvested soybean field that he selected for the forced landing. After clearing the trees, the pilot attempted to extend the landing gear by moving the landing gear selector handle to the down position; however, because the left engine was inoperative, a normal landing gear extension with the engine driven hydraulic pump was not possible. The pilot immediately attempted to extend the landing gear using the emergency hand-pump, but the airplane impacted terrain before the landing gear was fully extended. Upon contact with the terrain, the nose and left main landing gear collapsed. The left wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage during the forced landing.
A postaccident examination of the airplane established that the inboard and outboard fuel tanks were void of any useable fuel. The pilot reported that the accident flight was about 4 hours 20 minutes in duration and that fuel exhaustion was the reason that both engines had lost total power. Before departing on the accident flight, he estimated that the flight would require about 118 gallons of fuel, and as such, there would be about 4 gallons of fuel remaining at the completion of the flight. However, after the accident, the pilot acknowledged that he failed to account for the 6.8 gallons of unusable fuel within the fuel system. Additionally, the airplane was equipped with an emergency carbon-dioxide blowdown system that the pilot could have used to rapidly extend the landing gear instead of the more laborious and time consuming emergency hand-pump. The pilot did not offer an explanation on why he chose to use the emergency hand-pump instead of the carbon-dioxide blowdown system.
ADAMS COUNTY, Ill. (WGEM) - Quincy Regional Airport Director Jared Hester confirmed a small plane ran out of fuel Sunday afternoon and had to make an emergency landing in rural Adams County.
The incident happened around 2:20 p.m. in a cut bean field on E. 1800th Street, just a few miles off of Highway 104.
Hester said the pilot handled the emergency situation correctly, managing to land the plane safely.
"In this situation, the emergency landing dictated that they needed to land," Hester said." Quicker than what time allowed for them to get to the airport, so they chose a flat level field."
Adams County deputies reported the plane was traveling to Quincy from Florida, when the plane ran out of fuel prior to reaching the airport. Adams County EMA Director John Simon said four people were aboard the plane, including the pilot.
Simon said no one was injured.
"Presently, the accident is still under investigation," Simon said. "The Adams County Sheriffs Department has reached out, they've talked to FAA officials, they are starting to gather statements and reports, it has been turned over to the federal aviation administration."
The names of the pilot and passengers have not been released by authorities, but WGEM has confirmed that one of the passengers on board was Quincy businessman Hal Oakley.
QUINCY, ILL. -- Four people are lucky to be alive after a plane crash landed near the Quincy Regional Airport Sunday.
Adams County Emergency Management Agency Director John Simon said shortly after 2 p.m. a small private plane crashed landed into a field southeast of East 1800th Street and North 1050th Avenue.
Simon said the plane was on approach to land at the Quincy airport when it crashed.
Simon said the Adams County Sheriff's Office, Adams County Ambulance and the Liberty Fire Department responded to the scene.
The pilot and pilot's passengers were evaluated and released at the scene. No injuries were reported.
"It's a testament to the pilot's ability despite the crash landing that nobody was hurt," Simon said.
Simon says the cause of the crash is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Conclusion, after failing to have adequate fuel reserves, the PIC successfully performed an emergency landing with all on board surviving.
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