N3324W

On December 4, 1996, at about 0130 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-32-260, N3324W, lost engine power while in cruise flight. The airplane sustained substantial damage when the pilot attempted an emergency landing in a farm field near Claverack, New York. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The pilot reported that he was operating in visual meteorological conditions on top of a cloud layer when the loss of engine power occurred. No flight plan was filed. The flight departed Fulton County Airport, in Johnstown, New York, about 0030, and was conducted under the provisions of Title 14, CFR Part 91.

According to the pilot, while en route at 9500 feet, after about 20 minutes of level flight, the engine power decreased to below idle rpm. The fuel flow until the power loss had been 13 gallons per hour (gph), but after the power loss occurred, the flow was 28 gph. The outside air temperature was -20 degrees Celsius; the pilot's attempts to regain power, including the use of carburetor heat, were unsuccessful and he did a forced landing in a field. The pilot who is an aircraft mechanic reported that after the landing, he inspected the engine, and not finding any discrepancies, started the engine "which ran good."