No fatalities

1 Oct 2014: PIPER PA 25-235 — Yankton, SD

Yankton, SD, United States

On 1 Oct 2014, a PIPER PA 25-235 was involved in an aviation accident near Yankton, SD. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot ran out of fuel. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

After an aerial application flight, the pilot noticed a low fuel gauge indication. The engine lost power, resulting in a forced landing in a cornfield 3 miles from the airport. The left wing sustained substantial damage.

Incident Overview

During an aerial application flight, the pilot observed that the fuel float gauge indicated a low fuel quantity. Shortly thereafter, the airplane's engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot executed a forced landing in a cornfield located approximately 3 miles west of the intended airport.

Damage Assessment

The forced landing resulted in substantial damage to the left wing of the aircraft. No other damage was reported.

Pilot Report

In a postaccident statement, the pilot reported that the fuel exhaustion was the cause of the power loss. The pilot stated that he ran out of fuel.

Conclusion

The incident was attributed to fuel exhaustion, as reported by the pilot. No further details were provided regarding the aircraft type, registration, or other operational factors.

Probable cause

The pilot ran out of fuel.

Contributing factors

Fluid levelPilotFluid management