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A C152 pilot reported landing in a corn field when his engine quit in flight due to fuel starvation.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 915424 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201010 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Cessna 152 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Route In Use | Direct |
| Flight Plan | VFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Engine |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Private |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 1.2 Flight Crew Total 128.5 Flight Crew Type 128.5 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy |
Narrative:
During [cruise] engine began to run rough; then quit. I made a radio call to [a nearby] unicom that aircraft was experiencing engine failure and would be landing off the airport approximately 4.5 miles to the south. Established 54 KT glide and landed in corn field (harvested) with no damage to aircraft. After assuring that aircraft was stable; I checked the tanks with a fuel dipstick; and there was no usable fuel in either tank. I called the owner of the aircraft to inform him of the situation. Bystanders drove me to the airport to get 7 gallons of 100LL; and returned to aircraft; refueled; and attempted to perform a soft field takeoff. The ground was too soft to get up to takeoff speed. The owner of the field arrived and volunteered to drive his vehicle over the ground to compact it to form a more usable takeoff surface. Before I could taxi to the end that would face the wind; a police officer arrived and made a report; and contacted the FAA; due to local protocol. The FAA representative advised that the aircraft was not to be moved until after a meeting with the owner; the pilot (me); and himself at the FBO. Owner arrived while police officer was on the phone with the FAA representative. In the aircraft owner's opinion the compacted field was comparable to other soft field in the local area; and the plane could be safely flown out of the field.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A C152 pilot reported landing in a corn field when his engine quit in flight due to fuel starvation.
Narrative: During [cruise] engine began to run rough; then quit. I made a radio call to [a nearby] UNICOM that aircraft was experiencing engine failure and would be landing off the airport approximately 4.5 miles to the south. Established 54 KT glide and landed in corn field (harvested) with no damage to aircraft. After assuring that aircraft was stable; I checked the tanks with a fuel dipstick; and there was no usable fuel in either tank. I called the owner of the aircraft to inform him of the situation. Bystanders drove me to the airport to get 7 gallons of 100LL; and returned to aircraft; refueled; and attempted to perform a soft field takeoff. The ground was too soft to get up to takeoff speed. The owner of the field arrived and volunteered to drive his vehicle over the ground to compact it to form a more usable takeoff surface. Before I could taxi to the end that would face the wind; a Police Officer arrived and made a report; and contacted the FAA; due to local protocol. The FAA representative advised that the aircraft was not to be moved until after a meeting with the owner; the pilot (me); and himself at the FBO. Owner arrived while Police Officer was on the phone with the FAA representative. In the aircraft owner's opinion the compacted field was comparable to other soft field in the local area; and the plane could be safely flown out of the field.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.