Pilot Debrief

BERT N Norris RV-6 near St. Maries, ID — 2016-07-04

Final reportWPR16LA135
Sign in to save
Date
2016-07-04
Location
St. Maries, ID, USA
Airport
S72
Aircraft
BERT N Norris RV-6
Registration
N916BN
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

A partial loss of engine power due to carburetor icing, which resulted from the pilot’s failure to apply carburetor heat.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that, on short final to the runway, the engine lost partial power. The pilot then switched fuel tanks, activated the boost pump, and pumped the throttle, but engine power was not restored. The pilot subsequently landed in a field about 300 to 500 ft short of the runway, and the airplane nosed over. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot stated that he believed that the loss of power was due to carburetor ice because he might not have applied carburetor heat during the flight. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to moderate carburetor icing at cruise power settings and serious carburetor icing at descent power settings. It is likely that the loss of engine power resulted from carburetor icing due to the pilot's failure to apply carburetor heat.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot did not activate carburetor heat before approach.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

Related mishaps