Piper PA-22-125 N663A

Summary

On 16 July 2013 at about 22:00 local time, a Piper PA-22-125 registered N663A, operated by McCarty Michael H, was involved in an accident near Mapleton, Minnesota, 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

16 July 2013 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Mapleton, Minnesota, United States

Coordinates

43.9686, -91.9014

Aircraft

Piper PA-22-125

Registration

N663A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

McCarty Michael H

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wells → Mankato

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN13LA417

Nobody was injured.

The total loss of engine power due to water contamination of the fuel, which resulted in the pilot's forced landing to unsuitable terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot said the airplane's engine started "sputtering" then lost total power. He made a forced landing in a corn field, and the airplane nosed over. The pilot stated that he performed a thorough preflight inspection of the airplane, during which he drained fuel from all three fuel sumps, and he found no evidence of water or sediment contamination. However, postaccident examination of fuel samples taken from both the left and right wing fuel tanks and from the gascolator fuel line revealed a substantial amount of water. The investigation revealed that the airplane had been parked outside and there had been recent heavy rains in the area.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.