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CEN15CA001

2014-10-01 · Yankton, South Dakota, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport YKN

Current FAA registration · N6659Z

Make / Model
PIPER PA-25-235
Engine
LYCOMING 0-540 SERIES (250 hp)
Seats / Engines
1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19630123
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A8CA77

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's improper fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

Factual narrative

After conducting an aerial application flight and attempting to return to the airport, the pilot noticed that the fuel float gauge displayed a low quantity. The airplane's engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot performed a forced landing in a cornfield about 3 miles west of the airport. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported in a postaccident statement that he ran out of fuel. After conducting an aerial application flight and attempting to return to the airport, the pilot noticed that the fuel float gauge displayed a low quantity. The airplane's engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot performed a forced landing in a cornfield about 3 miles west of the airport. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported in a postaccident statement that he ran out of fuel. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid management - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2014_CEN15CA001.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel exhaustion). All research papers