Bartholomew LANCAIR 320 N320BB

Summary

On 8 April 2011 at about 18:30 local time, a Bartholomew LANCAIR 320 registered N320BB, operated by Douglas Tyrone, was involved in an accident near Temple Bar, Arizona, 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

8 April 2011 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Temple Bar, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

36.0347, -114.3203

Aircraft

Bartholomew LANCAIR 320

Registration

N320BB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Douglas Tyrone

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

North Las Vegas → Albuquerque

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11LA193

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot did not use carburetor heat in cruise flight while operating in an area conducive to carburetor icing, which resulted in a 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, the airplane was in cruise flight at 5,500 feet mean sea level (msl) when he observed haze ahead, and he decided to descend to 3,500 feet msl. The pilot reported that, at 4,000 feet msl, the engine began to lose power. The pilot stated that he cycled the throttle and then the propeller, but the engine power was not restored. The pilot then turned on the fuel boost pump with no change in power noted. The pilot said that he did not apply carburetor heat. The pilot said that, about 300 to 400 feet above ground level, the engine "finally reached what felt like near idle." During the forced landing, the airplane collided with an embankment. The regional weather conditions at the time of the accident were such that the route of flight was directly into a cold front with increasing moisture and relative humidity. A weather station about 11 nautical miles from the accident site reported a temperature of 32 degrees F and dew point of 30 degrees F at the time of the accident. These weather conditions were conducive to the formation of serious carburetor icing at cruise power. A postaccident examination of the engine found no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely the engine began to lose power due to carburetor ice and that the timely application of carburetor heat would have restored engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.