Hurley Richard A CAVALIER SA102.5 N115RH

Summary

On 29 July 2011 at about 15:30 local time, a Hurley Richard A CAVALIER SA102.5 registered N115RH, operated by Kirby Gary G, was involved in an accident near Salem, Iowa, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 July 2011 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Salem, Iowa, United States

Coordinates

40.7831, -91.1253

Aircraft

Hurley Richard A CAVALIER SA102.5

Registration

N115RH

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Kirby Gary G

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Oshkosh → Mount Pleasant

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11LA539

1 person was seriously injured.

The partial loss of engine power due 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

About 25 minutes prior to reaching the intended refueling destination, the pilot noticed a drop in engine rpm. The pilot applied carburetor heat, the engine rpm increased, and he turned the carburetor heat off. All other engine instruments and indications appeared normal. During the descent, the engine rpm dropped again, and the pilot attempted to resolve the problem by again applying carburetor heat, changing throttle positions, and switching fuel tanks; however, he was unsuccessful. Unable to maintain altitude, the pilot performed a forced landing to a cornfield. During postaccident examination of the airplane, fuel was noted in the airframe fuel tanks, and mechanical continuity was established throughout the engine. The airplane was operating in conditions conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power at the time of the accident. It is possible that, when the engine lost partial power during the descent, the carburetor heat was not effective, because the engine was operating at a low power setting and was not producing sufficient heat to melt the ice.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.