Brook LANCAIR IV-P N401PT

Summary

On 2 June 2007 at about 19:15 local time, a Brook LANCAIR IV-P registered N401PT was involved in an accident near Parowan, Utah, 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

2 June 2007 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Parowan, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Parowan Airport (K1L9)

Coordinates

37.8597, -112.8161

Aircraft

Brook LANCAIR IV-P

Registration

N401PT

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Deer Valley → Hailey

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX07LA184

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to engine inlet icing. Contributing to the accident was the lack of engine inlet anti-icing capability.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was about 1 hour 15 minutes into the flight, and the airplane was cruising at 26,000 feet, when the turbo prop engine lost power with white smoke coming out of the exhaust. About a minute before the pilot had observed what he termed "splats" of moisture on the windscreen. He performed an emergency descent and at 12,500 feet attempted an engine restart. The restart attempt was unsuccessful. He glided to the nearest airport, circled, and performed a power-off landing. The airplane crossed the runway threshold at 120 knots, floated, and touched down at mid field. After touchdown, the airplane continued down the runway, off the end, and into terrain and a fence. The airplane came to rest with the landing gear collapsed. Federal Aviation Administration inspectors examined the airplane, and could not identify any mechanical abnormality with the engine or fuel system. The Pilot Operating Handbook states that an engine relight was possible below 13,000 feet mean sea level, and below 160 knots of airspeed. The pilot could not recall what his airspeed was when he attempted the engine restart. The airplane was not equipped with any type of engine inlet anti-ice or deicing equipment. The pilot did state that he had been in and out of moisture while at his 26,000 feet cruising altitude, but there had been no ice buildup on his wings or windscreen. A technical representative for Lancair stated that a 3/4 blockage of the engine cowling NACA induction scoop might be enough to starve the engine of air and induce a flameout.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.