Piper PA 24-180 N8371P

Summary

On 3 October 2018 at about 22:30 local time, a Piper PA 24-180 registered N8371P was involved in an accident near Smithville, Tennessee, 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

3 October 2018 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Smithville, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Smithville Municipal Airport (0A3)

Coordinates

35.9856, -85.8092

Aircraft

Piper PA 24-180

Registration

N8371P

Category

Airplane

Year built

1964

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Smithville → Smithville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA19LA004

1 person was seriously injured.

A total loss of engine power during initial climb due to carburetor ice that formed during an extended ground delay.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot stated that before departing on a local flight, he was delayed for about 10 minutes on the ground waiting for other traffic before he could back-taxi to the run-up area before takeoff. He completed the engine run-up and takeoff roll with no anomalies noted. After takeoff, when the airplane was about 300 ft above the runway, the engine experienced a total loss of power and the propeller windmilled. The pilot lowered the landing gear and touched down on the remaining runway. The airplane overran the departure end, traveled down an embankment, and came to rest upright in low brush. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of serious carburetor icing at glide (idle) power settings. Thus, it is likely that during the ground delay, a period during which the engine would typically be operating at low power, carburetor ice formed, which resulted in a total loss of engine power during the initial climb.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.