Pzl Warzawa-Cnpsl PZL-104 WILGA 35A N231E

Summary

On 21 April 2007 at about 17:30 local time, a Pzl Warzawa-Cnpsl PZL-104 WILGA 35A registered N231E was involved in an accident near Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 April 2007 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States

Coordinates

43.0408, -88.2369

Aircraft

Pzl Warzawa-Cnpsl PZL-104 WILGA 35A

Registration

N231E

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Waukesha → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI07CA112

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's decision to attempt flight following the initial loss of engine power and successful forced landing to a cornfield. An additional cause was the loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A contributing factor was the furrowed cornfield encountered during the second forced landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane nosed-down in a cornfield during a forced landing following a loss of engine power shortly after takeoff. The local flight originally departed at 1215 and proceeded about 12 miles southwest of the departure airport before the airplane experienced a loss of engine power. The pilot landed in a cornfield without incident. The pilot stated that he restarted the engine and elected to take-off after finding "nothing apparently wrong" with the magnetos and fuel gauges. After takeoff, at an altitude of 150 feet, the airplane experienced a loss of engine power for a second time. The pilot reported that he performed a forced landing to another cornfield, but the cornfield rows were perpendicular to the landing path and the airplane nosed-down after touchdown. The airplane reportedly had 30 gallons of fuel on board at the original time of departure. Investigation of the airplane and accident site did not reveal evidence indicative of a fuel spill. The ground was not wet or muddy and there was no discernable fuel smell present at the accident site. Neither of the fuel tanks were breached and there was no evidence of a fuel leak. The fuel sight gauges were examined and no fuel was noticed upon righting the airplane. Several of the fuel lines had been crimped during the accident sequence, but there was no indication of a fuel leak from any of the crimped lines. The fuel tanks were drained and twenty-four ounces of fuel was collected. The pilot's shoe was reportedly recovered from the wreckage and was found filled with fuel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.