Event NYC01LA002

Factual narrative

On October 2, 2000, about 1310 Eastern Daylight Time, a Maule M-5, N5638D, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Leicester, Massachusetts. The certificated commercial pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that departed Norwood, Massachusetts, destined for Northhampton, Massachusetts. No flight plan was filed, and the flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. After departure, the airplane climbed to a cruise altitude of 2,500 feet msl. The cruise portion of the flight was completed, and the pilot initiated a descent. Approximately 6 miles past Worcester Regional Airport (ORH), Worcester, Massachusetts, and heading toward Northhampton, the pilot experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot turned toward Worcester, and declared an emergency to air traffic control. With the propeller windmilling, the pilot tried several different engine control configurations to restart the engine, but he did not reposition the fuel selector. While descending, the pilot identified a field to the left of the airplane. He executed a "tight" turn to the left, and while at a "low" airspeed, the airplane entered a spin. The pilot added, "I entered a spin...[then] dove the plane to gain airspeed, then tried to pullout of the dive. I was not entirely successful, so I crashed." The wreckage was examined by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector. The left auxiliary-fuel tank was "nearly" full, and the left main-fuel tank was empty. The right main fuel tank was about 1/8 full, and the right auxiliary fuel tank was empty. The fuel selector was set to the left main tank, the right auxiliary fuel transfer pump switch was "ON," and the left auxiliary transfer pump switch was "OFF." The throttle control was full open, the mixture control was full rich, and the propeller control was in the low pitch position. The fuel line from the engine driven fuel pump to the carburetor did not contain any fuel, nor did the fuel feed line to the engine driven fuel pump. The carburetor and fuel strainer were not checked because of inaccessibility from impact damage. While in a descent, the pilot experienced a total loss of engine power. He declared an emergency, and attempted an engine restart. He tried several different engine control configurations, but could not regain engine power. He did not reposition the fuel selector. While maneuvering at a slow airspeed for an open field, the airplane entered a spin. The pilot was partially able to recover from the spin before impact. Examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel selector was set to an empty fuel tank. In addition, the fuel line from the engine driven fuel pump to the carburetor did not contain any fuel, nor did the fuel feed line to the engine driven fuel pump. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12