Stinson 108 N647C

Summary

On 21 August 2019 at about 18:38 local time, a Stinson 108 registered N647C was involved in an accident near Grand Rapids, Minnesota, 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

21 August 2019 at 18:38

Classification

Accident

Location

Grand Rapids, Minnesota, United States

Nearest airport

Grand Rapids/Itasca County (KGPZ)

Coordinates

47.2092, -93.5100

Aircraft

Stinson 108

Registration

N647C

Category

Airplane

Year built

1947

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Grand Rapids → Grand Rapids

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN19LA281

1 person had minor injuries.

A loss of engine power after takeoff for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he allowed the engine to warm-up for about 15 minutes before takeoff and used the carburetor heat. The takeoff was normal, but shortly after establishing climb power, he noticed a reduction in power although the engine was still running smoothly. He turned to a left downwind for landing; however, "several seconds" later, the engine "popped twice and quit completely." The propeller was windmilling. The pilot executed a forced landing and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the aft fuselage, left wing, left horizontal stabilizer, and right float. Postaccident examination of the engine, including a test run, did not reveal any anomalies that would preclude normal operation. Although the weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to carburetor icing at glide power, the pilot reported that he used carburetor heat when the airplane was idling on the ground and that the airplane was operating at a high power setting when the engine lost power, both of which would have prevented the accumulation of carburetor ice. Thus, the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined based on the available information and postaccident examination and testing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.