Pilot Debrief

PIPER J3F 65 near Strasburg, CO — 2016-06-27

Final reportCEN16LA239
Sign in to save
Date
2016-06-27
Location
Strasburg, CO, USA
Aircraft
PIPER J3F 65
Registration
N29042
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

A partial loss of engine power due to carburetor ice accumulation.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that he departed an airport with full gas and headed east to another airport to perform a touch-and-go landing. After the touch-and-go landing, the engine "never really seemed to perform" on climbout. He attempted to restore power without success, and the airplane began descending. The pilot conducted a forced landing to a field, where the airplane nosed over and sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious carburetor icing at a descent power setting. The loss of engine power likely occurred due to the accumulation of carburetor ice during the descent. The formation of ice would reduce rpm but might not result in rough engine operation. Thus, the reduction in rpm could have gone unnoticed given the typical engine power setting changes when the airplane was on approach for the touch and go.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked for carburetor icing before takeoff.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents6

Related mishaps