Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA32 near Greenville, SC — 2020-11-24

Final reportERA21LA054
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Date
2020-11-24
Location
Greenville, SC, USA
Airport
GYH
Aircraft
PIPER PA32
Registration
N5566J
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

A partial loss of engine power due to the pilot’s delayed application of carburetor heat, which resulted in carburetor icing.

NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, after performing two takeoffs and landings, he was instructed to extend the downwind leg of the traffic pattern. During the extended downwind leg, the engine began to lose power. The pilot attempted to restore full power (actions which included applying carburetor heat), and turned directly to the airport while notifying the tower controller of his emergency. The airplane subsequently collided with a building during a descending turn. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. A review of the weather conditions at the accident airport revealed that the weather conditions at the time were conducive to the formation of carburetor ice at glide power settings. Given this information, it is likely that the loss of engine power was due to an accumulation of ice in the carburetor, and that the pilot’s application of carburetor heat after the engine had begun to lose power was insufficient to restore the power before the airplane impacted the ground.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the landing after engine power loss was noted.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents7

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