Bellanca 8GCBC N395AC

Summary

On 4 December 1998 at about 18:25 local time, a Bellanca 8GCBC registered N395AC was involved in an accident near Burlington, Wisconsin, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 December 1998 at 18:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Burlington, Wisconsin, United States

Coordinates

42.6707, -88.2699

Aircraft

Bellanca 8GCBC

Registration

N395AC

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rochester → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI99LA048

Nobody was injured.

Carburetor ice, the pilot's inadequate pre-flight planning/preparation resulting in his flight into poor weather conditions, and the pilot's improper use of carburetor heat. Factors contributing to this accident were the carburetor icing conditions, the rising embankment at the shoreline and the trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot said that he was in a visual descent to land when the airplane's engine lost most of its power. The pilot applied carburetor heat, but the engine lost more power. The pilot elected to perform an emergency landing on a lake. The pilot said that the lake was not long enough to stop the airplane before coming in contact with the shore. Examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies. Weather conditions reported at Kenosha, Wisconsin, 14 miles east-southeast of the accident site were overcast ceiling of 200 feet, 1 mile visibility, temperature 52 degrees Fahrenheit, and dew point 52 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the Department of Transportation/Federal Aviation Administration/CT-82/44 Publication: Light Aircraft Piston Engine Carburetor Ice Detector/Warning Device Sensitivity/ Effectiveness, June 1982, Carburetor Icing Probability Chart; these conditions places the probability for carburetor icing in the 'serious icing at cruise power' area of the chart.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.