| Crash location | 41.771945°N, 88.475556°W |
| Nearest city | Sugar Grove, IL
41.769196°N, 88.430075°W 2.4 miles away |
| Tail number | N4136D |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 06 Oct 2017 |
| Aircraft type | Piper Pa 34-220T |
| Additional details: | None |
On October 6, 2017, about 0706 central daylight time, a Piper PA34-220T airplane, N4136D, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing in a corn field following a loss of engine power on its right engine. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane received substantial damage to its fuselage, and both wings. The aircraft was registered to Echo Bravo LLC, and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan. The flight was originating from the Aurora Municipal Airport (ARR), near Sugar Grove, Illinois, and the Wichita Dwight D Eisenhower National Airport (ICT), Wichita, Kansas, was the intended destination.
The pilot reported that the pre-flight inspection and the pre-takeoff engine checks revealed no anomalies. He stated that shortly after takeoff, the airplane yawed to the right. The airplane entered the clouds about 1,100 ft msl and became more difficult to control. He stated that he lowered the nose to increase airspeed and the airplane exited the cloud layer in a nose down, right wing low attitude. He stated that he corrected the attitude and landed into a corn field.
A Federal Aviation Administration Inspector examined the airplane after the accident. The examination did not reveal any preimpact anomalies regarding the airplane engines. The right engine could be rotated and compression and suction were felt on all cylinders during rotation. Further examination of the right engine revealed no anomalies. The FAA Inspector removed the fuel injection servo and the fuel injection distribution valve from the right engine and had them tested at a certified repair station. The functional and visual inspections did not reveal any anomalies and all test parameters were within service specifications..
A partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.