Smith Miniplane DSA-4 N1321

Summary

On 27 November 2011 at about 21:40 local time, a Smith Miniplane DSA-4 registered N1321, operated by Courtesy Cruiser Inc, was involved in an accident near Hernando, Florida, 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

27 November 2011 at 21:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Hernando, Florida, United States

Coordinates

28.9019, -82.3089

Aircraft

Smith Miniplane DSA-4

Registration

N1321

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Courtesy Cruiser Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dunnellon → Hernando

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12LA087

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to apply carburetor heat while descending in conditions conducive to carburetor icing, which resulted in carburetor icing and a subsequent total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane had descended from about 1,600 feet to about 800 feet when the pilot/owner increased the throttle to initiate a climb. The engine began to run roughly, the pilot applied carburetor heat, the engine speed decreased to 2,000 rpm, and the airplane descended. Approximately 10 seconds later, about 500 feet agl, the engine stopped producing power and the propeller stopped. The pilot conducted a forced landing in a wildlife preserve, where the airplane rolled an estimated 40 feet, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. The accident airplane was one in a flight of two. The second airplane orbited the site until emergency services arrived. According to the owner of the second airplane, he too serviced his airplane at the same time and from the same vendor as the accident airplane and experienced no fuel-related problems. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preaccident anomalies that would preclude normal operation. The engine started immediately, accelerated smoothly, and ran continuously without interruption. According to an Federal Aviation Administration carburetor icing probability chart, the atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious icing at glide power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.