Piper PA28 N5575U

Summary

On 26 October 2018 at about 13:30 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N5575U was involved in an accident near Parker, Colorado, 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

26 October 2018 at 13:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Parker, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Centennial (APA)

Coordinates

39.5356, -104.8617

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N5575U

Category

Airplane

Year built

1969

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Denver → Ogden

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA19LA027

Nobody was injured.

A partial loss of engine power during initial climb due to carburetor icing, and the pilot's failure to effectively use carburetor heat in conditions conducive to the formation of carburetor ice.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After completing the preflight inspection, the pilot reported a normal engine runup and recalled checking the carburetor heat and magnetos twice before takeoff. He started the takeoff roll and noticed that the roll was a "little longer than normal” and that the airplane’s climb performance was poor. He applied carburetor heat, noted a loss of rpm, then turned the carburetor heat off. Shortly thereafter, the airplane started to descend, and the pilot performed a forced landing to a field. Examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of serious carburetor icing at cruise power settings. Since postaccident examination of the engine revealed no anomalies, it is likely that the loss of power was a result of carburetor ice accumulation. It is possible that carburetor ice formed before departure, when the engine was operating at a low power setting, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power during the initial climb.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.