Piper PA-28-180 N5539W

Summary

On 26 July 1999 at about 17:25 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N5539W was involved in an accident near Hayward, California, 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

26 July 1999 at 17:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Hayward, California, United States

Nearest airport

Hayward Executive (HWD)

Coordinates

37.6695, -122.0797

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N5539W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Concord → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX99LA259

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's failure to apply carburetor heat to prevent the formation of carburetor ice while operating in IFR conditions which resulted in the loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While on a left turn to final approach after descending through an overcast layer, the engine quit about 0.5 miles out from the runway and at 500 feet msl. The pilot switched from the right to the left tank, applied carburetor heat, richened the mixture, advanced the throttle, checked the magneto switch position, and attempted to restart the engine. He did not report turning on his auxiliary electric fuel pump. Unable to restart the engine, he declared an engine-out emergency and made an approach to a parking lot, which terminated with a hard landing. An FAA inspector reported that the right tank was filled nearly to the tab while the left tank contained approximately 5 gallons. The pilot said he had been on the right tank for both legs of the flight. He said he switched to the left tank as he was turning final. Fueling records show the airplane had been topped off earlier that morning and had been flown 2 hours since then. The manufacturer recommends that the auxiliary electric fuel pump be on for all takeoffs and landings and when switching tanks. The second item on the 'Engine Power Loss In Flight' checklist is 'Electric Fuel Pump - On.' The pilot did not report applying carburetor heat until after the power loss occurred. The temperature was 59 degrees and the dew point was 54 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the carburetor icing probability chart, the conditions were conducive for serious icing at either cruise or climb power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.