Piper PA32 N5566J

Summary

On 24 November 2020 at about 20:30 local time, a Piper PA32 registered N5566J was involved in an accident near Greenville, South Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 November 2020 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Greenville, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Donaldson Field Airport (GYH)

Coordinates

34.7421, -82.3835

Aircraft

Piper PA32

Registration

N5566J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pickens → Greenville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA21LA054

2 people were seriously injured.

A partial loss of engine power due to the pilot’s delayed application of carburetor heat, which resulted in carburetor icing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, after performing two takeoffs and landings, he was instructed to extend the downwind leg of the traffic pattern. During the extended downwind leg, the engine began to lose power. The pilot attempted to restore full power (actions which included applying carburetor heat), and turned directly to the airport while notifying the tower controller of his emergency. The airplane subsequently collided with a building during a descending turn. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. A review of the weather conditions at the accident airport revealed that the weather conditions at the time were conducive to the formation of carburetor ice at glide power settings. Given this information, it is likely that the loss of engine power was due to an accumulation of ice in the carburetor, and that the pilot’s application of carburetor heat after the engine had begun to lose power was insufficient to restore the power before the airplane impacted the ground.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.