Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA-28-180 near Alexandria, LA — 2009-12-27

Final reportCEN10LA080
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Date
2009-12-27
Location
Alexandria, LA, USA
Airport
AEX
Aircraft
PIPER PA-28-180
Registration
N7230W
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot completed the pre-landing checklist on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern in his single-engine airplane, which included switching the fuel selector to the fullest (right wing) tank, turning the fuel pump switch on, and making sure the mixture control was at the full rich position. The pilot did not use carburetor heat since the checklist said to only apply it "as necessary" and there was no indication of carburetor icing. As the airplane turned on to the base leg, the engine stopped producing power and the pilot made a forced landing to a plowed field. During the landing the airplane nosed over. The engine was later test run on the airplane using fuel from the right wing tank. The engine started immediately and ran smoothly. No anomalies were noted except that when carburetor heat was applied a drop followed by a rise in rpm was noted, which is consistent with ice buildup in the carburetor. Despite the possible presence of ice during the test run, a review of the Carburetor Icing Probability Chart revealed that the conditions at the time of the accident were not conducive to light, moderate, or serious icing conditions and the cause of the power loss could not be determined.

Analysis

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

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

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