Piper PA-28-140 N56124

Summary

On 24 March 2007 at about 15:15 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N56124 was involved in an accident near Catherine Twp., Pennsylvania, United States. 2 people were 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

24 March 2007 at 15:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Catherine Twp., Pennsylvania, United States

Coordinates

40.5747, -78.2114

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N56124

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sellingrove → Ebensburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC07LA085

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper use of carburetor heat. Contributing to the accident were the weather conditions conducive to the formation of carburetor ice.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Between 30 minutes to 1 hour into the visual flight rules flight, the pilot reported that the engine began to "run rough." The pilot applied carburetor heat, but that only made the roughness worse, so after about one minute, he turned the carburetor heat back off. The pilot then decided to "take emergency action," and performed a forced landing to the top of a nearby mountain. The weather conditions reported about 17 nautical miles west of the accident site, which was also located between the accident site and the destination airport, were well below the minimums for VFR flight. Additionally, when asked about the weather in-flight the pilot stated that there was at least 1-mile visibility, and that he stayed clear of the clouds, as he was in "class G" airspace. Interpolation of a carburetor icing probability chart revealed that the atmospheric conditions were conducive to "moderate icing" at cruise power or "serious icing" at glide power. An FAA publication provided pilots with warning signs of, and solutions to carburetor icing. The publication warned that a loss of engine rpm in airplanes equipped with a fixed pitch propeller is one sign that carburetor ice may be present. In order to counteract carburetor icing, the pilot should apply full carburetor heat immediately. The publication noted that the engine "may run rough initially for a short time while ice melts."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.