Pilot Debrief

STINSON V77 near Jordan, MN — 2016-09-14

Final reportCEN16LA369
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Date
2016-09-14
Location
Jordan, MN, USA
Aircraft
STINSON V77
Registration
N715FB
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

A partial loss of engine power due to carburetor icing.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a personal flight to break in the recently overhauled engine. After about 30 minutes, when the airplane was about 2,000 ft above ground level, the engine started to backfire and lose power. The pilot attempted to troubleshoot the problem by switching fuel tanks; adjusting the engine throttle, mixture, and propeller controls; and selecting the individual magneto positions, to no avail. He performed an emergency landing to a soft field; the airplane subsequently nosed over during the landing roll, and the rudder sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examinations of the airframe, engine, and magnetos found no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious carburetor icing at cruise power. Thus, it is likely that the engine lost power due to serious carburetor icing.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the flight after engine issues began.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 6 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents6

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