Alon A2 N6359V

Summary

On 11 September 2015 at about 13:40 local time, a Alon A2 registered N6359V was involved in an accident near Laramie, Wyoming, 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

11 September 2015 at 13:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Laramie, Wyoming, United States

Coordinates

41.2647, -105.4750

Aircraft

Alon A2

Registration

N6359V

Category

Airplane

Year built

1965

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Laramie → North Platte

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15LA407

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to use carburetor heat in cruise flight while operating in an area conducive to serious carburetor icing, which resulted in a loss of engine power and an off-airport landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to continue flight toward rising mountainous terrain when the airplane could not maintain altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that, after departing and then making a slow circling climb to about 9,500 ft mean sea level (msl), the airplane was unable to climb any higher and was occasionally descending. The pilot began to fly on course toward higher terrain, and the engine suddenly began to lose power. The pilot applied carburetor heat, but engine power was not restored. The airspeed then slowed, and the airplane descended. The airplane impacted the concrete median barrier on the highway in a narrow mountain pass at an estimated terrain elevation of 7,980 ft msl and then came to rest upright. There was a fuel spill at the scene but no postimpact fire, and the injured pilot was able to exit the airplane without assistance. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine found no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the airplane had been recently fitted with a 4-point inertial reel shoulder harness system and that it is likely that his use of that shoulder harness system prevented him from sustaining a more serious injury. The weather conditions about the time of the accident were conducive to the accumulation of serious carburetor icing at all power settings. Federal Aviation Administration guidance states that, when conditions are conductive to carburetor icing, the pilot should immediately apply carburetor heat and that the heat should be left on until the pilot is certain that all of the ice has been removed. It is likely that the engine began to lose power due to carburetor ice and that the timely application of carburetor heat would have restored engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.