Piper PA 28-180 N32150

Summary

On 10 October 2014 at about 14:15 local time, a Piper PA 28-180 registered N32150 was involved in an accident near Bend, Oregon, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 October 2014 at 14:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Bend, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Bend Municipal (KBDN)

Coordinates

44.0922, -121.1794

Aircraft

Piper PA 28-180

Registration

N32150

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bend → Bend

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR15LA008

2 people had minor injuries.

A partial loss of engine power due to carburetor icing, which resulted from the pilot’s failure to apply carburetor heat after takeoff and during the climb. 

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that, about 4 to 5 minutes after takeoff for the personal flight and while climbing to 6,000 ft mean sea level (msl), the engine started to "shake and roll," and the rpm reduced from about 2,400 to 1,800 rpm. The pilot then reversed course to return to the airport. The pilot turned on the carburetor heat and enriched the fuel mixture, which did not restore full engine power. The rpm then dropped to between about 1,300 and 1,200, which was insufficient to maintain altitude. As the pilot approached the airport, he realized that the airplane was not going to reach the runway, so he executed an off-airport landing, during which the landing gear and the right wing separated from the fuselage. A postaccident examination of the engine and fuel system did not reveal any mechanical anomalies or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Weather conditions from the surface to 10,000 ft msl were conducive to the accumulation of moderate-to-severe carburetor icing. Therefore, it is likely that carburetor ice accumulated during the climb, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power. It is likely that the pilot's delayed use of carburetor heat was insufficient to clear the ice before the return to the airport.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.