Accident Aeronca O-58B Grasshopper N47252,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 211569
 
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Date:Monday 28 May 2018
Time:09:30
Type:Silhouette image of generic l3 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Aeronca O-58B Grasshopper
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N47252
MSN: 058B-9843
Year of manufacture:1944
Total airframe hrs:2668 hours
Engine model:Continental O-170-3
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Burt County, a mile west of Tekamah, NE -   United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Tekamah, NE (TQE)
Destination airport:Tekamah, NE (TQE)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The private pilot reported that, about 30 minutes after departing for a personal, local flight, he was conducting a tribute over a cemetery and noticed that the engine was not running properly, so he proceeded to fly toward an airport located about 8 nautical miles (nm) to the east. While en route to the airport, the engine stopped developing full power and had a maximum rpm of about 1,500. The airplane descended, and during the forced landing, it impacted a ditch about 3 nm from the airport, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. The pilot stated that he should have landed the airplane in a flat field when the opportunity was possible, instead he "kept flying into a situation where there were no options."

Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the loss of engine power, the airplane was operating in conditions conducive to carburetor icing at glide power. The pilot reported that he was not using carburetor heat. It is likely that, during the tribute, the pilot reduced engine power, resulting in a buildup in carburetor ice, which restricted the air and fuel flow and caused the reduced engine power. When the reduced engine power condition occurred, the pilot should have identified an appropriate forced landing site; however, he chose to continue to fly the airplane to an airport located about 8 nm away. When the engine lost total power, he had to make a forced landing on unsuitable terrain.

Probable Cause: The partial loss of engine power due to the formation of carburetor ice. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to use carburetor heat and his decision to continue flight with reduced engine power rather than landing the airplane on suitable terrain.

Accident investigation:
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Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: CEN18LA199
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 year and 6 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB

FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=47252

Location

Media:

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
28-May-2018 16:31 Geno Added
28-May-2018 21:35 Geno Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Nature, Source, Narrative]
28-May-2018 21:44 Iceman 29 Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative]
28-May-2018 21:48 Iceman 29 Updated [Embed code]
29-May-2018 04:52 Iceman 29 Updated [Location, Phase, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative]
29-May-2018 17:46 harro Updated [Aircraft type, Embed code]
22-Dec-2019 14:16 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Accident report, ]

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