On August 31, 1982, a Boeing A75N1 (registration N59998) operated by Richards Aero Applicator Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Madison, FL. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
While returning to an airport, the engine lost power. The pilot landed long in a pasture to avoid cows and hit a fence. The mixture linkage was found disconnected; after reconnection, the engine stopped due to fuel exhaustion.
Accident Overview
An aircraft experienced an engine power loss while returning to the airport. The pilot executed a forced landing in a pasture, landing long to avoid cows. The aircraft was unable to stop before colliding with a fence.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that the mixture linkage had become disconnected. Following the accident, the linkage was reconnected and the engine was started. However, the engines stopped running approximately two minutes later when no fuel remained in the tanks.
Post-Accident Findings
It was not determined whether the fuel tanks had been drained prior to the engine run-up. The sequence of events included an initial power loss due to the disconnected mixture linkage, followed by fuel exhaustion after the linkage was reconnected.