N7730Z

On July 4, 1996, at 2140 central daylight time (cdt), a Piper PA-25-235, N7730Z, operated by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage when during cruise flight, the airplane lost engine power. The airplane subsequently impacted the terrain during an attempted forced landing. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The ferry flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. No flight plan was on file and the pilot reported no injuries. The local flight originated at Kenmare, North Dakota, at 2015 cdt.

In his written statement, the pilot stated that he "sprayed out the chemical and was returning to the (Kenmare) airport when the engine quit. My approximate altitude was 150 to 200 feet above ground level (AGL). I pumped the throttle and pushed the mixture full rich and the engine surged once. I attempted to turn left to land into the wind and to avoid a road and a power line in front of the airplane. The airplane contacted the ground in a nose down and left wing down position, and then pivoted 180 degrees to point straight north."

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who examined the wreckage at Kenmare Airport reported the fuselage exhibited numerous upward bends and crushing along the entire underside. The left wing had broken off one-quarter of its span outboard of the root. The separated wing exhibited crush damage to the wingtip and leading edge. The right wing remained attached to the fuselage and showed bends and crushing at the tip and along the leading edge. The empennage showed no signs of damage. The engine had separated from the fuselage at the engine mount. The firewall was crushed. One propeller blade was bent back slightly, while the other blade was undamaged. The left main landing gear was bent outward. Flight control continuity was confirmed. Examination of the engine and engine controls revealed no anomalies. Examination of the single fuselage fuel tank revealed no evidence of fuel. No evidence of fuel was found in the carburetor or fuel lines to the engine. There was no evidence of fuel external of the airplane.

The pilot stated that he did not know how much fuel he had in the airplane. He estimated that the fuel was one to two inches below the filler port. The pilot said that he did not check this visually or physically. He stated that his normal fueling procedure was to fuel until the automatic shut-off on the fueling nozzle cut off. Then he would add a little more fuel. The pilot said that he could not track how much fuel he put into the airplane, because he fueled the airplane from his own 100 gallon tank which did not have a meter.