Pilot Debrief

PIEL Emeraude near Banner Elk, NC — 2012-07-06

Final reportERA12LA432
Sign in to save
Date
2012-07-06
Location
Banner Elk, NC, USA
Aircraft
PIEL Emeraude
Registration
C-FBZZ
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

The total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because the engine was not examined.

NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that during his preflight inspection of the airplane he determined that the fuel was not contaminated by water or debris. The pilot also checked the weather and determined that the formation of carburetor ice was unlikely. After taking off and flying along a river valley, the pilot turned the airplane to cross a mountain range. He added power to climb, and shortly thereafter, the engine lost power, and the pilot made a forced landing into trees. The pilot stated that he did not use carburetor heat during the flight, and, except for an instance in which the self-modulating pitch propeller moved to coarse pitch during a flight earlier that day, the pilot did not report any preexisting mechanical anomalies or unusual weather phenomena. The wreckage was not examined after the accident. Postaccident review of carburetor icing probability charts indicated a likelihood of carburetor ice formation while the airplane was in cruise flight along the river valley, which would likely have affected engine power during the attempted climb. However, because no follow-up examination was performed, it was not possible to determine why the engine lost power.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot did not utilize carburetor heat despite conditions favoring icing.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents7

Related mishaps