Piper PA-24 N5769P

Summary

On 30 July 2004 at about 23:00 local time, a Piper PA-24 registered N5769P was involved in an accident near Rockville, Indiana, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 July 2004 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Rockville, Indiana, United States

Nearest airport

Butler Field (IN46)

Coordinates

39.7125, -87.4014

Aircraft

Piper PA-24

Registration

N5769P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rockville → Zionsville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI04LA202

1 person had minor injuries.

The restriction of airflow in the carburetor due to a foreign substance blockage of the venturi. A contributing factor was the trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with trees during a forced landing while in the traffic pattern at a private airstrip. The pilot stated he departed the airstrip and attempted to contact approach control (21 statue miles away) to activate his instrument flight rules flight plan. He stated he was having radio problems in that he could hear approach control, but they were unable to hear him. The pilot reported he was in instrument meteorological conditions so he decided to return to the airstrip. The pilot stated he was in the traffic pattern to land when the engine lost power. He stated he thought he had picked up carburetor ice, so he applied carburetor heat, but was unable to regain any engine power. The airplane contacted trees and settled into a heavily wooded area near the airport. The pilot spent the night in the airplane and found his way out of the woods the following morning. The closest weather reporting station, located 21 miles from the accident site, reported the weather 7 mintes prior to the accident, as 1-1/4 mile visibility with light rain and mist, scattered clouds at 400 feet and a broken cloud ceiling at 700 feet. A post accident inspection of the airplane revealed that the venturi on the air inlet side of the carburetor was blocked by a 5-1/2 inch long piece of heat shield material. This material covered about 70 percent of the inlet area. The source of this material could not be determined as this material was not used anywhere on the airplane. The last annual inspection of the airframe and engine was performed approximately 60 flight hours prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.