Golf Course Served As Emergency Landing Strip
An NTSB prelim has provided some puzzling details about the
recent deadstick landing executed by a Cirrus SR22 that has been
flying several hours before its engine failed, necessitating an
immediate unplanned landing on a golf course. Despite reports that
fuel gauges showed enough fuel in both tanks to continue flight and
that the pilots switched tanks every 30 minutes, the NTSB reports
that there was no physical evidence of fuel in the left tank, which
ruptured on impact, but also showed no signs of "browning of
vegetation" which should have indicated where fuel (from the
breached tank) spilled onto the ground and damaged the
vegetation.