Piper PA22 N5499Z

Summary

On 28 December 2016 at about 00:40 local time, a Piper PA22 registered N5499Z was involved in an accident near Piedmont, Missouri, 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

28 December 2016 at 00:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Piedmont, Missouri, United States

Coordinates

37.1244, -90.7150

Aircraft

Piper PA22

Registration

N5499Z

Category

Airplane

Year built

1962

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Poplar Bluff → Piedmont

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

CEN17LA062

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s descent below glidepath, which resulted in the airplane’s impact with power lines.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that he performed several touch-and-go landings at a nearby airport and then returned to his home airport to perform several more touch-and-go landings. As he approached the runway for the third landing, he added throttle to adjust his glidepath; however, the engine did not respond. The pilot added that the engine continued to run but did not produce enough power to maintain altitude. The airplane continued to descend, and its landing gear caught a power line. The airplane then impacted terrain. Fuel was present on site. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The examination noted that the propeller blade tips were bent forward with gouges and chordwise scoring on the leading edges, consistent with the engine producing high power. The pilot reported that he did not apply carburetor heat on the approach; however, weather conditions in the area were conducive to the formation of serious carburetor icing at cruise power settings. Although the pilot did not apply carburetor heat and reported that the engine did not produce enough power to maintain altitude, the postaccident examination did not reveal any airplane mechanical malfunctions or failures, and propeller signatures indicate the engine was producing high power during the accident sequence. Thus, the reason for the pilot’s descent below glidepath could not be determined based on the available information.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.