ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 295716
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Friday 13 June 2003 |
| Time: | 11:30 LT |
| Type: | Sharp Corben Baby Ace D |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N794CH |
| MSN: | 29 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 83 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental O-200-A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Wamsutter, Wyoming -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Rock Springs-Sweetwater County Airport, WY (RKS/KRKS) |
| Rawlins Airport, WY (RWL/KRWL) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The airplane was being ferried to its new owner. The pilot said he was cruising at 8,000 feet msl (1,000 feet agl), using a power setting of 2,400 rpm with the mixture leaned "for altitude." About 1 hour after takeoff, the engine began "sputtering and backfiring." Engine power dropped from 2,400 rpm to approximately 1,000 to 1,100 rpm. Unable to restore power, the pilot made a forced landing on rough, uneven terrain. During the landing roll, the airplane struck a hole and nosed over, coming to rest inverted. The accident site was at an elevation of 6,955 feet msl. The pilot told a sheriff's deputy that "it was either engine failure or [the] carburetor iced up." Temperature and dew point recorded at an automated weather observation station (AWOS) station, located 48 miles east of the accident site, were 4 degrees and 0 degrees C., respectively. According to the Carburetor Icing Probability Chart, the temperature and dew point correspond to "serious icing at cruise power." The computed relative humidity was 76 percent. The pilot said he had had "carburetor ice before and the onset was always a gradual onset of power loss requiring changes in the throttle setting until ice was recognized. This was NOT the case in this incident as the power loss was instant and no actions affected it after they were tried." According to FAA's Flight Training Handbook, the onset of ice may be subtle or sudden, particularly if ice forms on the carburetor jets, because it "tends to choke off the flow of air and reduce the power output, or even prevent the engine from operating." The engine was functionally tested to 2,100 rpm, and no discrepancies were noted. Additional power output was not possible due to the intake manifold being crushed during the accident.
Probable Cause: A loss of engine power due to carburetor icing. Contributing factors were weather conditions conducive to carburetor icing and unsuitable terrain available on which to make a forced landing.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB DEN03LA153
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Oct-2022 12:00 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation