Pzl KOLIBER-150A N150AE

Summary

On 8 July 1995 at about 23:30 local time, a Pzl KOLIBER-150A registered N150AE, operated by Andrew J. Shakespeare, was involved in an accident near Pickens, South Carolina, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 July 1995 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Pickens, South Carolina, United States

Coordinates

34.8801, -82.7001

Aircraft

Pzl KOLIBER-150A

Registration

N150AE

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Andrew J. Shakespeare

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Camden → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL95LA131

1 person was seriously injured.

the inadequate design and operation of the induction airbox. A factor in the accident was the carburetor icing weather conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he was flying over mountainous terrain in cruise flight when the engine began to lose power. He followed emergency procedures and switched on the boost pump. The engine regained full power momentarily, but then experienced a gradual loss of power. The airplane was brought to minimum controllable airspeed (MCA), and settled in the tree tops. There was a post crash fire following the collision. According to the pilot, emergency procedures were followed, and the carburetor temperature gauge appeared normal from a glance. The weather conditions were favorable for the formation of carburetor ice, and the pilot reported that he did not use the carburetor heat. Conversations with other operators of the same type aircraft and the engine manufacturer revealed that there is a problem with the aircraft induction airbox. The airbox problem causes the engine to run rough. Leaning of the engine exacerbates the condition, and introduction of carburetor heat increases engine RPM rather than decreasing RPM.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.