Piper PA-24-250 N8053P

Summary

On 31 December 2012 at about 15:40 local time, a Piper PA-24-250 registered N8053P, operated by John M.. Pate, was involved in an accident near Mc Allen, Texas, 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

31 December 2012 at 15:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Mc Allen, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Mc Allen Miller International (KMFE)

Coordinates

26.1722, -98.2364

Aircraft

Piper PA-24-250

Registration

N8053P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

John M.. Pate

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mc Allen → Weslaco

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN13LA118

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to carburetor icing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After taking off and climbing to about 1,200 feet above the ground, the airplane’s engine began to run rough and lost power. The pilot turned back toward the airport, but the airplane impacted terrain 200 feet short of the runway. The left main and nose landing gears separated from the airplane, the right wing was crushed, and the fuselage was buckled. Postaccident examination of the engine and related systems revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. According to a Federal Aviation Administration carburetor icing chart, conditions were conducive to carburetor icing at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.