Accident Details
On August 28, 2012, at approximately 1850 central daylight time, a forced landing occurred near Rolla, North Dakota, involving an Aviat Inc A-1 Husky (registration N49363). The aircraft sustained substantial damage when it nosed over after landing in a field. The certificated commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. No flight plan was filed for the cross-country flight, which departed Huron Regional Airport (HON), Huron, South Dakota, at 1430 and was destined for Rolla Municipal Airport (06D), Rolla, North Dakota. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that he self-fueled the airplane with 40 gallons of fuel before departure. The flight was uneventful until the aircraft was approximately 10 miles south of the Rolla airport. According to the pilot, "...the engine cut out, sputtered and quit and would not restart." He immediately turned into the wind and executed a forced landing in a harvested wheat field. During the landing roll, he applied brakes to avoid a large pothole. The airplane then tipped up onto its nose and slowly fell onto its back, resulting in structural damage to the wing struts.
Recovery and Findings
After the accident, an airframe and power plant mechanic recovered the airplane from the field. In a written statement, the mechanic noted that the right wing's fuel cap was missing and could not be located. The top of the wing area around the fuel filler cap was stained blue toward the trailing edge, consistent with fuel venting overboard. Additionally, when both wings were removed, there was no fuel in the left wing and less than a cup of fuel in the right wing. No other mechanical anomalies were identified with the airplane or engine.