Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA-18-150 near St. Augustine, FL — 2022-11-14

Final reportERA23LA066
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Date
2022-11-14
Location
St. Augustine, FL, USA
Aircraft
PIPER PA-18-150
Registration
N9858P
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to appropriately use carburetor heat, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to carburetor icing.

NTSB narrative

The aerial observation pilot was mapping costal erosion; about 2 hours and 20 minutes into the flight, the engine “sputtered” three times over the course of 30 to 60 seconds before completely losing power. The pilot then began troubleshooting the loss of engine power while searching for a forced landing location. The pilot landed the airplane on a relatively sparsely populated area of the beach below. During the landing, the main landing gear dug into the sand and the airplane nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the engine mounts, vertical stabilizer, and rudder. Postaccident examination of the airplane’s engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures. The temperature and dewpoint conditions about the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of “serious icing at glide [idle] power.” Given the lack of any mechanical anomalies observed during the postaccident examination of the engine, it is likely that the loss of engine power was due to carburetor icing. Additionally, the pilot reported that he did not begin troubleshooting the engine anomalies until after the total power loss had occurred. Had the pilot used carburetor heat to prevent the formation of carburetor ice, or applied it immediately after the engine roughness began, the loss of engine power may have been avoided.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked fuel caps before departure to prevent fuel loss.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • FDR / data
  • Photos
  • 7 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents7

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