Flight CTLS N549LS

Summary

On 7 July 2013 at about 15:50 local time, a Flight CTLS registered N549LS, operated by Daniel E. Mayworm, was involved in an accident near Sandwich, Illinois, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

7 July 2013 at 15:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Sandwich, Illinois, United States

Coordinates

41.6383, -88.6444

Aircraft

Flight CTLS

Registration

N549LS

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Daniel E. Mayworm

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St. Louis → Waukegan

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN13LA398

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to recognize the formation of carburetor ice during cruise descent and apply carburetor heat, which resulted in the 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 pilot reported that as the airplane was descending through about 4,700 feet mean sea level, the engine began to run rough and eventually lost complete power. He noted that the engine monitoring system indicated that there was no fuel flow, despite the airplane having about 16 gallons of automobile fuel still available. The pilot reported that his several attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful. He requested radar vectors from air traffic control to the nearest airport; however, he was unable to reach the airfield, so the pilot made a forced landing to a cornfield. A postaccident examination did not reveal any mechanical or fuel system anomalies that would have precluded normal engine operation, and the engine subsequently started and ran without any anomalies. Additional examination of the fuel system revealed that an ample amount of uncontaminated automobile fuel was available. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the accumulation of carburetor ice during engine operations at descent engine power settings. Additionally, the pilot’s use of automobile fuel increased the likelihood of carburetor ice accumulation because it is more volatile and therefore absorbs more heat from the mixing air when vaporizing for engine consumption. The pilot stated that he did not apply carburetor heat after the loss of engine power. It is likely that the pilot’s use of automobile fuel and his flight in weather conditions that were conducive for carburetor icing resulted in the formation of carburetor ice during the airplane’s descent.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.