Pilot Debrief

SCHAFER STARDUSTER SA-300 near North Bend, OR — 2010-02-28

Final reportWPR10LA149
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Date
2010-02-28
Location
North Bend, OR, USA
Aircraft
SCHAFER STARDUSTER SA-300
Registration
N105NL
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

The complete loss of engine power during cruise for undetermined reasons.

NTSB narrative

After being airborne for about 10 minutes, the pilot applied full carburetor heat as he entered an area that he felt had high humidity. About five minutes later the airplane's engine, a 220 horsepower Continental W670 radial, began to lose power. Although the pilot managed to keep it at cruise power for a short period of time by pumping the throttle, the engine then slowly lost all power. The pilot was forced to execute an emergency landing in a rough log-covered clear-cut in the forest. Upon touchdown, the airplane cartwheeled and came to a stop within about 100 feet. A post-accident inspection of the airplane's fuel system, ignition system, and air induction system did not reveal any evidence of a malfunction or anomaly that would have kept the engine from producing cruise power. The airplane had about 28 gallons of fuel in its tank at takeoff, and the pilot said that he had flown the airplane many times in the high humidity conditions found near the ocean, and that with the full application of carburetor heat; the airplane's carburetor had never accumulated ice in its throat. The reported temperature and dewpoint (14 and 7 degrees C respectively), when plotted on a carburetor icing probability chart, fell in the area annotated "Moderate Icing Cruise Power or Serious Icing Descent Power".

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have monitored engine performance more closely after applying carburetor heat.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 1 docket document
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents1

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