Pilot Debrief

Rutan VARIEZE near Kaneville, IL — 2019-07-08

Final reportCEN19LA216
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Date
2019-07-08
Location
Kaneville, IL, USA
Airport
ARR
Aircraft
Rutan VARIEZE
Registration
N112EZ
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to use carburetor heat while operating at low power settings in conditions conducive to the development of carburetor ice, and the subsequent total loss of engine power due to carburetor icing.

NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot of the experimental airplane reported that he was unable to enter the destination airport airspace, so he remained outside of the airspace at a reduced power setting. After adjusting the mixture control, the engine experienced a complete loss of power and the propeller stopped rotating. About 1,600 ft above ground level (agl), the pilot initiated a steep dive to increase airspeed and attempt to get the propeller to windmill and the engine to restart; however, the propeller would not rotate, so he pulled out of the dive about 300 ft agl and aligned with traffic on an interstate for a forced landing. During the landing, the right wing contacted a truck and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. A postaccident engine test run revealed no anomalies, and the test was unable to determine why the propeller would not windmill above the published speed. The atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the accumulation of carburetor icing at glide and cruise power settings. The pilot did not use the carburetor heat during the reduced engine power operation; therefore, it is likely that the carburetor accumulated ice, which resulted in the total loss of engine power.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have applied carburetor heat earlier to prevent ice accumulation.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents7

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