Sly RV-6A N80287

Summary

On 2 April 1999 at about 00:00 local time, a Sly RV-6A registered N80287 was involved in an accident near Payson, Utah, United States. 2 people were 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

2 April 1999 at 00:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Payson, Utah, United States

Coordinates

39.9608, -111.7198

Aircraft

Sly RV-6A

Registration

N80287

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Spanish Fork → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN99LA062

Nobody was injured.

The development of carburetor ice resulting in a loss of engine power, and the inadequate carburetor heat shroud. Factors were the carburetor icing weather conditions, the kit manufacturer's inadequate carburetor heat shroud design, the FAA's inadequate certification of the aircraft, the snow covered, unsuitable terrain on which to perform a forced landing, and the fence post.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After being airborne for 15 minutes, the aircraft's engine began to lose power. The pilot initiated an emergency landing along a county road but switched to another road to avoid power lines. Upon touchdown, the aircraft departed the side of the road and struck a fence post. The engine was examined and test run, and no discrepancies were observed. The pilot stated that 'other pilots at the scene agreed the conditions could cause carburetor icing.' According to the FAA inspector present at the accident scene, 'the conditions were a classic setup for carburetor icing.' The Van's Aircraft construction and operating manual states that one method of building the carburetor heat system is to 'run a 2-inch air hose from a heat muff and position it to feed into the alternative air inlet of the carb[uretor] air box,' which is the method by which the pilot constructed the airplane. According to the inspector, the 2-inch hose is not large enough to adequately supply enough heat to the carburetor to sufficiently melt the ice. The aircraft was issued an airworthiness certificate by the FAA on August 24, 1995.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.