Accident Overview
On June 29, 2011, at 1325 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180 airplane, registration N9002J, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Barron, Wisconsin. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The aircraft was operated by a private individual under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight, which was conducted without a flight plan.
Flight Details
The flight originated from Watford City Municipal Airport (S25), Watford City, North Dakota, at 0930, and was destined for Rice Lake Regional Airport (KRPD), Rice Lake, Wisconsin. The planned route was direct with a fuel stop at Cambridge Municipal Airport (KCBG), Cambridge, Minnesota, covering a total distance of 494 nautical miles. The airplane had full fuel tanks (49.6 gallons usable) before departure. After takeoff, the flight climbed to a cruise altitude of 11,500 feet mean sea level. During the flight, the pilot recalculated fuel remaining and elected to continue to the final destination without refueling.
Engine Failure and Forced Landing
Approximately 4 hours 25 minutes into the flight, about 5 miles northwest of the destination airport, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine after switching fuel tanks and executed a forced landing to a nearby field. He reported that he extended the flaps for landing after clearing power lines bordering the field. However, the flaps retracted suddenly when he inadvertently depressed the flap handle release button while extending the flaps. The sudden loss of lift from the unintended flap retraction resulted in a hard landing, which collapsed the landing gear. The fuselage and firewall were substantially damaged during the forced landing.
Pilot Statement and Fuel Consumption
The pilot stated that the loss of engine power was due to fuel exhaustion and not the result of a mechanical malfunction of the engine. According to the Piper PA-28-180 owner's handbook, the expected fuel consumption rate at 75-percent power was 10.0 gallons per hour. Postaccident calculations indicated that the average fuel consumption rate achieved during the accident flight was 11.2 gallons per hour.