Piper PA-18-150 N82096

Summary

On 19 December 1998 at about 19:30 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N82096 was involved in an accident near Fairfield, Pennsylvania, 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

19 December 1998 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Fairfield, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Mid Atlantic Soaring Ctr (W73)

Coordinates

39.5496, -77.7609

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-150

Registration

N82096

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC99LA040

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to properly use carburetor heat which resulted in carburetor ice and loss of engine power. Contributing factor were trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was returning to land after releasing a glider. Two miles from the airport, the pilot established the airplane on final, selected flaps down, and noticed that the left fuel tank was 'half full' and the right fuel tank was a 'little less' then half full. The pilot repositioned the fuel selector to the left tank, and 1 minute later and 1,000 feet above the ground, the engine experienced a loss of power. After unsuccessfully attempting a restart, the pilot reselected the right fuel tank, pulled the carburetor heat, pumped the throttle, and attempted another start. When the engine did not respond, the pilot completed the forced landing, and the airplane was substantially damaged during rollout. After the accident the engine idled smoothly. The fuel selector was switched between left tank, right tank, and off. The engine stopped only when close to the off detent. According to the FAA publication, 'Tips On Winter Flying,' the accident conditions bordered between serious icing with glide power, and serious icing with cruise or climb power. In addition, the publication stated that, 'Carburetor heat should be used whenever atmospheric conditions indicate icing is a possibility and the engine is being operated at 75 percent power and below.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.