Piper PA-28-180 N2342T

Summary

On 29 September 2003 at about 01:39 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N2342T, operated by Christopher W. Scott, was involved in an accident near Talladega, Alabama, United States. 3 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

29 September 2003 at 01:39

Classification

Accident

Location

Talladega, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Talladega Muni (ASN)

Coordinates

33.5697, -86.0508

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N2342T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Christopher W. Scott

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Talladega → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ATL03LA148

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to use carburetor heat when weather conditions were favorable for carburetor icing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he had been taxiing for an hour and a half at idle speed. He was cleared for takeoff, but the takeoff acceleration seemed "sluggish". During the climb out the engine miss fired, the airplane climbed approximately 200 feet, and the engine lost power. The airplane landed on runway 21 and rolled off the overrun. Examination of the airplane revealed spar damage to the left and right wing assemblies. The fuselage was buckled and the main landing gear was sheared off. All flight control surfaces were examined and found to be operating correctly. A run up of the engine was conducted, and the engine attained 800 rpm. Review of the Piper Cherokee pilot's operating handbook, section: Warm-up and Ground Check, (Carburetor heat should also be checked prior to take-off to be sure that the control is operating properly, and to clear any ice which may have formed during taxiing). A review of weather data, at the time of the accident, disclosed that conditions were favorable for the formation of carburetor ice. The pilot did not report checking carburetor heat following the long period of ground operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.