History of Flight
On May 18, 2009, at 1715 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-181, N4130W, was substantially damaged during a forced landing in a sparsely populated area near Dingman, Pennsylvania. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which departed White Birch Field Airport (NK68), Hancock, New York, about 1645 with an intended destination of Somerset Airport (SMQ), Somerset, New Jersey. The certificated private pilot was not injured. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot stated that earlier in the day he had departed SMQ, where his airplane was based, for NK68. After spending about 6 hours in the Hancock, New York area, he departed for SMQ. During cruise flight at 6,500 feet above mean sea level, the "engine sounded like it was out of fuel" and the "propeller just stopped." He immediately performed his emergency checklist, including switching fuel tanks, but the engine did not respond. He used his global positioning system to locate the nearest airport, but it was about 12 miles away, which he felt was too far at that altitude. He saw a multi-lane road but determined it was too heavily traveled and would create a hazard. He then saw an open field and proceeded to attempt a landing, but realized it was a park with a playground. As altitude diminished, he could not find another suitable landing site. The airplane "settled into the trees" and came to rest in the treetops approximately 25 feet above ground level. The pilot exited the airplane and descended the tree. The airplane was noticed the following day by a passerby.
Pilot Information
The pilot, age 50, held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on August 7, 2007. At the time of the accident, he reported 871 total flight hours, with 775 hours in the accident airplane make and model.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane, a Piper PA-28-181, was manufactured in 1999 and registered that same year. It was a four-seat, single-engine land airplane with tricycle landing gear and had accrued 5,140 total flight hours. It was equipped with a 180-horsepower Lycoming O-360-A4M engine, which had 2,019 total hours, 1,549 hours since overhaul, and 13 hours since its last inspection. The engine drove a fixed-pitch Sensenich propeller, model 76EMS14-0-62. Maximum gross weight was 2,558 pounds; the weight at the time of the accident was 2,036 pounds.
Meteorological Information
The 1754 recorded weather observation at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (AVP), 35 nautical miles west of the accident location, included winds from 340 degrees at 6 knots, visibility 10 miles, a cloud layer at 7,000 feet agl, temperature 13°C, dew point -3°C, and altimeter 30.28 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
An on-scene investigation by an FAA inspector revealed that the right wing spar was slightly bent in the positive direction, and both fuel tanks were void of fuel. The airplane was removed from the tree and lowered to the ground; approximately 6 ounces of fuel was drained from the engine and fuel system.
Additional Information
The pilot reported to the NTSB investigator that the most recent fuel purchase was near Albany, New York on a previous trip. He normally did not purchase fuel at SMQ. The most recent fuel receipt located was dated April 23, 2009, showing that the local fixed base operator fueled the airplane with 39 gallons. Since that fueling, the pilot flew from Albany International Airport (ALB) to SMQ, then the next flight was the accident day from SMQ to NK68 with the intention of returning to SMQ. The pilot stated there was no abnormal engine sound prior to stopping. According to the airplane's Pilot's Operating Handbook, the glide range in no wind was about 10 miles.