Accident Overview
On September 18, 2022, at approximately 1118 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-22-150 (tail number N6076D) sustained substantial damage during a forced landing near Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The aircraft was being operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The student pilot, who owned the airplane, and the flight instructor were not injured.
Flight History
The student pilot had purchased the airplane 10 months before the accident to begin flight training. On the day of the accident, about 1015, he and the instructor departed Walter J Koladza Airport (GBR) in Great Barrington with approximately 28 gallons of fuel, providing about 3 hours of endurance. The flight initially operated on the left fuel tank. They flew to Columbia County Airport (1B1) in Hudson, New York, where they switched to the right tank. After performing three takeoffs and landings to a full stop, they conducted basic private pilot maneuvers in the practice area. The student pilot described the flight as uneventful. Total flight time upon return to GBR was about 1 hour.
Loss of Engine Power
According to the instructor, the carburetor heat was checked several times during the flight. As they entered the downwind to base leg of the airport traffic pattern, the fuel tank selector was switched back to the left tank. During final approach, which was high and a little fast, the student pilot attempted a go-around. Shortly after adding full throttle and initiating a climb, the engine lost power. The student pilot reported "no surging, no sputtering, it just quit." He pumped the throttle without response. Being too low to troubleshoot, the instructor took control and executed a forced landing in a corn field.
Forced Landing and Aftermath
The airplane settled into the corn, immediately "dug in," and spun to the left before coming to rest on its left side. As fuel leaked from the right tank, the student pilot and instructor evacuated. During egress, the student turned the master switch to OFF and moved the fuel tank selector handle, which was installed on the sidewall behind his left leg, to the 12 o'clock position. According to the airframe manufacturer and wreckage photographs, that position corresponded to the right tank, not the OFF position. First responders later drained about 4 gallons of fuel from the right wing.
Examination
An FAA inspector examined the wreckage: the left wing was severed, the fuselage was crushed in several areas, and the left fuel tank was breached. The engine was examined and no mechanical malfunctions or irregularities were found that would have precluded normal operation.