Piper PA-12 N7779H

Summary

On 6 July 2012 at about 17:05 local time, a Piper PA-12 registered N7779H was involved in an accident near Quinhagak, Alaska, United States. 2 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

6 July 2012 at 17:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Quinhagak, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

59.7744, -161.7697

Aircraft

Piper PA-12

Registration

N7779H

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Togiak → Quinhagak

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC12CA072

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to use continuous carburetor heat while operating in conditions conducive to carburetor icing, which resulted in the development of carburetor ice and a subsequent partial loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he was landing his tailwheel-equipped airplane at an off-airport site. During the landing roll, he aborted the landing but was unable to clear terrain at the departure end of the site, about 400 feet from where he aborted the landing. The airplane impacted the ground, sustaining substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot indicated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. In his written statement to the NTSB, the pilot stated that the engine may not have been producing full power but, if so, he did not realize it or take any corrective action, such as applying carburetor heat. In a telephone conversation, he said that he had been flying at reduced power settings during his reconnaissance passes, with occasional use of carburetor heat to clear any possible carburetor ice. He also stated that his normal before-landing procedure is to turn off the carburetor heat on short final. According to a carburetor icing probability chart, an airplane operating in the ambient conditions at the accident site, as reported by the pilot, could expect a serious risk of carburetor icing while at cruise power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.