Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Springfield, Illinois
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
http://registry.faa.gov/N4136D
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board
Location: Sugar Grove, IL
Accident Number: CEN18LA008
Date & Time: 10/06/2017, 0706 CDT
Registration: N4136D
Aircraft: PIPER PA 34-220T
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of engine power (partial)
Injuries: 2 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On October 6, 2017, about 0706 central daylight time, a Piper PA34-220T airplane, N4136D, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing in a corn field following a loss of engine power on its right engine. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane received substantial damage to its fuselage, and both wings. The aircraft was registered to Echo Bravo LLC, and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan. The flight was originating from the Aurora Municipal Airport (ARR), near Sugar Grove, Illinois, and the Wichita Dwight D Eisenhower National Airport (ICT), Wichita, Kansas, was the intended destination.
The pilot reported that the pre-flight inspection and the pre-takeoff engine checks revealed no anomalies. He stated that shortly after takeoff, the airplane yawed to the right. The airplane entered the clouds about 1,100 ft msl and became more difficult to control. He stated that he lowered the nose to increase airspeed and the airplane exited the cloud layer in a nose down, right wing low attitude. He stated that he corrected the attitude and landed into a corn field.
A Federal Aviation Administration Inspector examined the airplane after the accident. The examination did not reveal any preimpact anomalies regarding the airplane engines. The right engine could be rotated and compression and suction were felt on all cylinders during rotation. Further examination of the right engine revealed no anomalies. The FAA Inspector removed the fuel injection servo and the fuel injection distribution valve from the right engine and had them tested at a certified repair station. The functional and visual inspections did not reveal any anomalies and all test parameters were within service specifications.
Pilot Information
Certificate: Private
Age: 58, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land; Single-engine Sea
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): Glider
Restraint Used:
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 3 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 07/11/2016
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 09/17/2017
Flight Time: 2300 hours (Total, all aircraft), 1100 hours (Total, this make and model), 2180 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 38 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 12 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft)
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Manufacturer: PIPER
Registration: N4136D
Model/Series: PA 34-220T 220T
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1999
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 3449101
Landing Gear Type: Retractable - Tricycle
Seats: 6
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 02/17/2017, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 4751 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 60 Hours
Engines: 2 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 2622 Hours at time of accident
Engine Manufacturer: CONT MOTOR
ELT:
Engine Model/Series: LTSIO-360 -2B
Registered Owner: ECHO BRAVO LLC
Rated Power: 220 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Instrument Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: ARR, 712 ft msl
Observation Time: 0652 CDT
Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles
Direction from Accident Site: 0°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Unknown
Temperature/Dew Point: 16°C / 16°C
Lowest Ceiling: Overcast / 300 ft agl
Visibility:
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 5 knots, 70°
Visibility (RVR):
Altimeter Setting: 30.03 inches Hg
Visibility (RVV):
Precipitation and Obscuration: Moderate - Mist
Departure Point: Sugar Grove, IL (ARR)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR
Destination: Wichita, KS (ICT)
Type of Clearance: IFR
Departure Time: 0700 CDT
Type of Airspace: Class D
Airport Information
Airport: AURORA MUNI (ARR)
Runway Surface Type: Concrete
Airport Elevation: 712 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: 33
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 5503 ft / 100 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: Forced Landing
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 None
Latitude, Longitude: 41.771944, -88.475556
NTSB Identification: CEN18LA008
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, October 06, 2017 in Sugar Grove, IL
Aircraft: PIPER PA 34-220T, registration: N4136D
Injuries: 2 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 October 6, 2017, about 0706 central daylight time, a Piper PA34-220T airplane, N4136D, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing in a corn field following a loss of engine power on its right engine. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane received substantial damage to its fuselage, and both wings. The aircraft was registered to Echo Bravo LLC, and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan. The flight was originating from the Aurora Municipal Airport (ARR), near Sugar Grove, Illinois, and the Wichita Dwight D Eisenhower National Airport (ICT), Wichita, Kansas, was the intended destination.
A Geneva couple endured a harrowing experience shortly after embarking on a trip to Arizona in their Piper Seneca plane. Pilot Edward Bonifas, 58 and his wife Carmella Bonifas, 65 began their ascent at the Aurora Municipal Airport when they suddenly encountered an emergency, forcing Bonifas to land in a corn field located a half-mile west of the airport, south of Scott Road. Kane County Sheriff’s Deputies, Sugar Grove, Aurora, Big Rock, Elburn and Sugar Grove Fire Department’s responded to a call of a plane down at approximately 7:10 a.m.
Kane County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Pat Gengler said the tall corn stalks obscured the plane wreckage from first responders. Although the pilot was able to communicate with first responders through his cell phone, they were still unable to locate the couple. “An Aurora Fire Department Ladder Truck was used to get a view from above the field,” Gengler said. A thick morning fog however, continued to prevent firefighters from finding the plane. Police say Bonifas was able to see the ladder and was able to direct fire fighters using an ATV to locate he and his wife.
“The pilot advised that he had just taken off from the Aurora Airport and was flying to Arizona when he experienced some sort of emergency in the air. The FAA and NTSB are conducting their investigation into the exact cause of the crash,” Gengler stated. In an interview, Gengler noted the couple had thankfully missed a row of power lines not far from their crash. Authorities said both Edward and Carmella did not sustain any injuries and were cleared to leave the scene after paramedics checked them out. Police say the crash remains under investigation.
Original article can be found here ➤ http://www.auroraherald.com
SUGAR GROVE – A plane went down west of the Aurora Municipal Airport in Sugar Grove this morning.
At about 7:10 a.m., Kane County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Sugar Grove police and the Sugar Grove Fire Department responded to the area of the airport for a report of a small plane that had landed in a nearby corn field
The pilot and his wife were unharmed, but left pretty shaken up, according to the Kane County Sheriff's Office spokesman, Lt. Pat Gengler.
“The pilot was in contact with people, so we knew he was OK,” Gengler said.
Emergency personnel on scene originally had a hard time locating the pilot and the plane, because the unharvested corn obscured the line of sight, according to Gengler. An Aurora Fire Department ladder truck arrived on the scene; the pilot was able to direct the fire personnel to where he was in the field after seeing the ladder truck.
The fire department was able to get an ATV and drive out to the scene to pick up the pilot and his wife. They were brought back to an ambulance where it was determined they didn’t need any medical treatment, according to Gengler.
Gengler stated that shortly after the plane took off from the Aurora Municipal Airport on its way to Arizona, the craft experienced some type of failure, which is still undetermined. The pilot put the plane down into the field.
“We really don’t know what happened in the air that caused him to go down,” Gengler said. “We’ll wait for the federal authorities to come out and put all those pieces together.”
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will examine the aircraft and interview the pilot to determine the cause of the accident, according to Gengler.
He noted that this could have been much worse.
"There is a set of power lines right there," he said. "When the pilot went down, he missed the power lines. He was able to put it down into the corn field.
“If he clipped those power lines or if it was the other direction where there are houses … this could have been a lot worse,” Gengler said. “The fact that the plane went down with two people in it [who were unharmed] speaks to his skill as a pilot.”
Original article can be found here ➤ http://www.kcchronicle.com
A Geneva man and his wife were uninjured after their plane had to make an emergency landing in a cornfield west of Aurora Municipal Airport Friday morning on their way to Arizona.
Kane County Sheriff's Department Lt. Pat Gengler said authorities were called at about 7 a.m. for a report of a the Piper Seneca propeller plane that crash-landed in an unharvested cornfield west of Dugan Road and south of Scott Road in Sugar Grove.
"The pilot was actually, I believe, talking to the tower when he landed by cellphone," Gengler said. "He had no idea where he was and we couldn't see him from the road."
The Aurora Fire Department responded to the area and extended a large ladder from the truck to look for the fallen plane, Gengler said. The pilot was able to see the ladder and rescue crews used an ATV to fight their way through the tall corn to bring the couple to safety, Gengler said.
The couple were evaluated at the scene and allowed to go home, Gengler said. They had planned to fly to Arizona today, with the first stop after departing to be an airport in Kansas to refuel and continue their trek west, Gengler said.
"The fact that they walked away from the scene is pretty cool," Gengler said. "The corn can dissipate a lot of energy."
The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.
Original article can be found here ➤ http://www.dailyherald.com
An Aurora man and his wife were unhurt early Friday after the man landed his small plane in a cornfield shortly after takeoff from the Aurora Municipal Airport in Sugar Grove.
Kane County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Lt. Pat Gengler said the pilot took off about 7 a.m. Friday and developed some kind of problem with the aircraft almost immediately. He managed to get the plane up over some utility wires, and then land in the middle of a cornfield west of Dugan Road and south of Scott Road.
“He went up and over,” Gengler said.
The pilot and his wife were on their way to Arizona, he added, flying a Piper Seneca.
Within less than an hour, the Sheriff’s Department had sealed off the section of Dugan Road just north of the intersection with Wheeler Road, and the Federal Aviation Administration was on the scene.
Gengler said the Sheriff’s Department will send out more information later today.
Original article can be found here ➤ http://www.chicagotribune.com
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