Piper PA-24 Emergency Landing in Coltauco, Chile (CC-PAY)

Incident Overview and Flight Details On 25 October 2021, a Piper PA-24, a single-engine, low-wing aircraft, made an emergency landing in an agricultural property in the sector of Coltauco, Región de O’Higgins, Chile, at 19:50 local time. The aircraft was operated by a private pilot with three passengers on board. The flight originated from Aeródromo La Independencia (SCRG) in Rancagua at approximately 18:15 local time, with the purpose of overflying the coastal sector of Pichilemu before returning to the departure aerodrome. ## Sequence of Events The outbound leg of the flight proceeded without incident. During the return leg, the aircraft was flying at an altitude of 7,000 feet and later established contact with the Rancagua (SCRG) control tower in the Coltauco sector, where it was at 6,000 feet. The pilot requested landing instructions and received runway conditions and instructions from the tower. Near the Idahue sector (Coltauco commune), the engine began to run roughly and subsequently stopped in flight. The pilot attempted a restart procedure without success and initiated an emergency landing, as the aircraft could not reach the nearest runway at Peumo (SCPW). The emergency landing was communicated to the SCRG control tower. ## Personnel and Aircraft Condition The pilot in command and the three passengers were uninjured. The aircraft sustained no damage, and there were no other damages reported. ## Pilot Information The pilot in command was 27 years old, Chilean, and held a valid private pilot license for single-engine land aircraft. The pilot had a total of 52:12 flight hours, with 12:00 hours on the specific aircraft type. In the 24 hours prior to the incident, the pilot had 1:42 hours of flight time; in the 7 days prior, 4:42 hours; and in the 90 days prior, 12:00 hours. The pilot had no previous incidents on record. ## Aircraft and Maintenance Information The aircraft was a Piper PA-24, serial number 24-3084, manufactured in 1962, with 5,359.01 total flight hours. The certified empty weight was 1,530 lb, and the maximum takeoff weight was 2,550 lb. The last inspection was conducted on 12 April 2021 (annual/100 hours). The engine was a Lycoming O-360-A1D, serial number L-4458-36, with 1,359.04 hours, last inspected on 12 April 2021. The propeller was a McCauley C3D36C415-C, serial number 902282, with 871.70 hours, last inspected on 12 April 2021. ## Fuel Information The aircraft used AVGAS 100LL fuel. It had two fuel tanks (one in each wing) with a total capacity of 42 US gallons, of which 40 US gallons were usable. An inspection of the fuel tanks at the incident site revealed that both tanks were empty. On the same day as the incident, the aircraft CC-PAY had completed a prior flight, leaving 13 US gallons in each tank.