Aviat A-1A N111XJ

Summary

On 9 December 2021 at about 22:52 local time, a Aviat A-1A registered N111XJ was involved in an accident near St. Jo, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one 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

9 December 2021 at 22:52

Classification

Accident

Location

St. Jo, Texas, United States

Coordinates

32.6948, -97.5225

Aircraft

Aviat A-1A

Registration

N111XJ

Category

Airplane

Year built

1998

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Denton → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22LA076

1 person was seriously injured.

The total loss of engine power due to carburetor icing during cruise flight, which resulted in a forced landing and impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane’s engine lost power during cruise flight. He executed a forced landing to a field, and the airplane nosed over when the pilot applied braking to avoid trees and a deep ravine. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder and vertical stabilizer. The pilot attributed the loss of engine power to engine oil loss during flight. However, postaccident testing and inspection of the engine revealed that 6 quarts of oil remained in the engine. A test run of the engine was performed with no anomalies noted that would have precluded normal operations. Although there was oil staining and streaking on the exterior of the airplane, indicating a possible oil leak, there was still sufficient oil within the engine, oil pressure was normal during the postaccident test run, and no leaks were detected during the test run, leading to the conclusion that the loss of engine power was not due to an oil system issue. The temperature and dew point near the accident location at the time of the accident were conducive for serious carburetor icing at glide power. Thus, given the available information for this accident investigation, the loss of engine power was likely the result of carburetor icing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.