ELLISBURG, NY, USA
N5839P
PIPER PA-24-180
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.
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.
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.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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