The Mechanic Said That The Pilot Told Him That He Had A “Weather Window”

Location: Iola, WI Accident Number: CEN23FA369
Date & Time: August 19, 2023, 12:54 Local Registration: N35417
Aircraft: Piper J5A Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On August 19, 2023, about 1254 central daylight time, a Piper J5A, N35417, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Iola, Wisconsin. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.

The pilot flew the airplane to Central County Airport, Iola (68C), Wisconsin, from Escanaba, Michigan, so that the annual inspection of the airplane could be performed at 68C by a mechanic. The mechanic stated that before the accident, the pilot had driven twice and flown once to 68C. The mechanic stated that he talked to the pilot 1 to 2 days before the accident and the pilot told him that he would like to fly the airplane to 68C. The mechanic said that the pilot told him that he had a “weather window” and would drop off the airplane at 68C on August 18th or 19th. The mechanic told the pilot to tie down the airplane if he arrived on the weekend since the mechanic was going to be away.

A friend of the pilot drove to 68C to pick up the pilot but when the friend arrived at the airport, he did not see the airplane. The friend looked around the airport and found the airplane at the end of a taxiway. The friend then drove to a store and called 911. There were no witnesses to the accident.
The airplane was nosed over near the northern end of a north/south grass taxiway at the airport. The airplane was near the centerline and was oriented (nose to tail) parallel to the taxiway (about 1,500 ft by 100 ft), which had a heading of about 030o.

The taxiway was mowed and had a grass height of about 3 inches, which was also the approximate grass height of the airport runways. The airport had a wind direction indicator and a windsock. The windsock was located about 500 ft down and off the west side of the taxiway, relative to the southern end of the taxiway.

A ground scar that preceded the airplane and was in line with the airplane nose extended about 16 ft from the airplane nose. The wing leading edges did not have impact damage. The rudder sustained substantial damage. The propeller spinner and the underside cowl aft of the spinner had longitude scoring. The spinner had no rotational scoring or scrapes. The propeller blades did not exhibit S-shaped bends/twists consistent with torsion.

Examination of the flight controls confirmed continuity from the control surfaces to the cockpit. Engine control continuity from the engine to the cockpit was confirmed. The fuel selector handle was in the left fuel tank position. Fuel selector detents were present when the fuel selector handle was moved through the off, left, and right positions. There was no fuel smell or evidence of fuel spillage at the accident site. There was no evidence of fuel leakage of the airplane fuel system. Both wing fuel caps were attached and secure. There were no placards relating to fuel type, quantity, and fueling instructions on the airplane. The header tank gascolator, which had a clear bowl, was about half full. The left and right wing tank fuel sight gauges were empty while the airplane was in an upside down attitude.

The airplane was moved to an upright position on its main and tailwheel landing gear. When the airplane was upright at the accident site, the left and right wing tank fuel sight gauges remained empty. The left and right wing fuel sump drains, located at the wing roots, were opened and no fuel drained from the sump drains. The right wing was removed from the airframe and visually examined though the wing fuel filler port, and no fuel was present. During removal of the left wing, the wing was raised and about 0.25 gallons of fuel was drained from the wing fuel sump drain. The gascolator sump bowl was now full, and the gascolator sump drain was opened to drain fuel from the header tank, which yielded about 0.5 gallons of fuel. 

A postaccident engine run was performed by starting the engine using the airplane’s battery and starter and a fuel container connected to the left fuselage wing root fuel line. The engine started and operated without any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov