Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA-24 near Loveland, CO — 2021-10-07

Final reportCEN22LA010
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Date
2021-10-07
Location
Loveland, CO, USA
Airport
FNL
Aircraft
PIPER PA-24
Registration
N5585P
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to recognize the degraded engine power and abort the takeoff in a timely manner.

NTSB narrative

The pilot stated the airplane accelerated slowly during the takeoff roll and did not climb normally during the initial takeoff. The pilot reported the engine oversped and he heard a loud noise that came from the engine during the takeoff climb. A review of flight data showed the takeoff roll was about 1,300 ft longer than normal and immediately after takeoff, the airplane decelerated about 10 knots. The pilot executed a forced landing on a road and the airplane struck a pole, which substantially damaged the left wing. Postaccident examination revealed no evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction that would have precluded normal operation. No reason for the reported overspeed or noise heard by the pilot was discovered during the postaccident examination. The pilot reported the engine “ran a little rough” when the carburetor heat lever was pulled out for a few seconds during the engine run-up. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious carburetor icing at cruise power. The pilot recalled setting the mixture lever “about a finger width” toward the lean position during the takeoff. The airplane’s extended takeoff roll and deceleration after liftoff were consistent with degraded engine power, which was most likely due to carburetor icing and/or a lean mixture setting. Following the accident, the pilot stated that he should have aborted the takeoff due to the airplane’s slow acceleration.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot should have aborted takeoff due to slower than normal acceleration.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 10 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents10

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