Lopez Phillip JABIRU J250 N464PP

Summary

On 2 April 2010 at about 22:35 local time, a Lopez Phillip JABIRU J250 registered N464PP, operated by Lopez Phillip, was involved in an accident near Middletown, Delaware, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously 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 2010 at 22:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Middletown, Delaware, United States

Nearest airport

Summit Airport (KEVY)

Coordinates

39.5267, -75.7383

Aircraft

Lopez Phillip JABIRU J250

Registration

N464PP

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Lopez Phillip

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cambridge → Toughkenamon

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10LA203

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to apply carburetor heat, which resulted in the formation of carburetor icing and a total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, during cruise flight the engine reportedly lost power, and his attempts to restore engine power were unsuccessful. The pilot conducted a forced landing, and the airplane collided with trees and power lines before the fuselage came to rest inverted in the wires. A postaccident examination of the airplane’s fuel system did not reveal a reason for the loss of power. The engine was test run after the accident and no evidence of preexisting malfunctions or anomalies were found that would have precluded normal operation. A review of the Federal Aviation Administration carburetor icing probability chart revealed temperature and dew point conditions at the time of the accident were favorable for serious carburetor icing at cruise power settings; however, according to the surviving passenger, the pilot did not discuss the possibility of carburetor ice during the event. A low level of diphenhydramine, an impairing antihistamine, was detected in the pilot’s blood on toxicological evaluation. It is possible that the pilot was somewhat impaired from recent use of the medication, but the role of such potential impairment in his failure to recognize evidence of carburetor icing could not be conclusively determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.