Piper PA-24-180 N5416P

Summary

On 3 August 2006 at about 15:25 local time, a Piper PA-24-180 registered N5416P was involved in an accident near Mosca, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 August 2006 at 15:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Mosca, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

37.8547, -105.4675

Aircraft

Piper PA-24-180

Registration

N5416P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pueblo → Alamosa

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN06FA109

1 person died.

a non-mechanical partial loss of engine power due to carburetor ice, and the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain. Contributing factors in this accident were weather conditions conducive to carburetor icing and the pilot inadvertently flying into instrument meteorological conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A witness, located about two miles from the accident site, said he heard an approaching airplane. He said the engine was "sputtering, like it was missing." He did not see the airplane, but he did hear a loud "pop." He went to a clearing and saw a fire on the mountainside. He said the sky was overcast and the mountaintops were obscured. He estimated the point of impact to be 500 feet below the overcast. After the wreckage was recovered, the engine was disassembled and examined. No anomalies were noted. There was camshaft and crankshaft continuity, and all connecting rods were attached. The carburetor, which had separated from the engine, was examined. The bowl was empty, and the throttle valve was closed. Both the engine-driven and auxiliary fuel pumps were destroyed by fire. The Carburetor Icing Probability Chart was consulted. The temperature and dew point recorded at the nearest weather reporting station, 37 miles south of the accident site, were conducive to "serious icing at cruise power." The temperatures and dew points recorded at the point of departure and destination were conducive to "serious icing at glide power."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.