Piper PA-22-180 N5778Z

Summary

On 1 May 1997 at about 16:00 local time, a Piper PA-22-180 registered N5778Z was involved in an accident near Russellville, Alabama, 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

1 May 1997 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Russellville, Alabama, United States

Coordinates

34.5010, -87.7205

Aircraft

Piper PA-22-180

Registration

N5778Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Quincy → Muscle Shoals

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL97LA066

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A factor was conditions were favorable for the formation of carburetor ice.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Approximately 4 hours into the flight, while on a long descent to the destination airport, the pilot experienced a reduction in engine power. The power reduction continued over a period of eight minutes and resulted in a complete loss of engine power. Following the loss of power, the pilot's attempts to restore full engine power, which included the application of carburetor heat, failed. The pilot selected a nearby paved road for an emergency landing. During the landing roll out, the right wing collided with a road sign, and the airplane swerved into an adjacent ditch and nosed over. Examination of the airplane failed to disclose a mechanical problem. Fuel was recovered from the fuel system. During the functional test of the engine, the engine operated normally through all power ranges. A review of current weather information revealed that weather conditions were favorable for the formation of carburetor icing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.