Pilot Debrief

CLIFTON BREEZY near Laneville, TX — 2012-04-23

Final reportCEN12LA257
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Date
2012-04-23
Location
Laneville, TX, USA
Aircraft
CLIFTON BREEZY
Registration
N6155M
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

A loss of engine power due to carburetor ice.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane’s engine lost power during cruise flight. He increased the mixture and manipulated the throttle to no avail. He chose a field for a forced landing, but at the last minute, he saw a barbed wire fence in the flight path. The pilot did not want the open-cockpit airplane to hit the barbed wire fence directly, so he pulled back on the control column in an attempt to clear the fence. The airplane then "pancaked" to the ground. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any failures or malfunctions that would have resulted in the loss of engine power. The closest recorded temperature and dewpoint were conducive for carburetor icing conditions at glide and cruise power.

Analysis

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

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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