Maule M-5-235C N9254E

Summary

On 29 May 2021 at about 17:00 local time, a Maule M-5-235C registered N9254E was involved in an accident near Stanley, Idaho, United States. 2 people were 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

29 May 2021 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Stanley, Idaho, United States

Nearest airport

Thomas Creek (2U8)

Coordinates

44.6796, -115.0166

Aircraft

Maule M-5-235C

Registration

N9254E

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Johnson Creek Airport → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR21LA212

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to use carburetor heat in weather conditions conducive to carburetor icing, resulting in a partial loss of engine power and a forced landing during which the airplane struck an object and nosed over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot initiated a descent to the remote airstrip with the intention of performing a low approach to check the runway surface then landing if conditions allowed. About 500 ft before the runway threshold, the pilot applied full engine power, and the engine responded but then began to progressively lose power. He turned on the carburetor heat, confirmed that the engine mixture was set correctly, and began to turn the airplane away from rising terrain. The airplane would not climb, and he maneuvered it through an adjacent canyon, at which time the engine started to regain power. Due to rising terrain, the pilot had limited options to turn around the airplane, so the pilot performed a forced landing. During the landing flare, the airplane struck a log and nosed over. Postaccident examination revealed no anomalies with the engine that would have precluded normal operation. Weather conditions at the time of the flight were conducive to serious carburetor icing at cruise power. The pilot did not turn on carburetor heat until after the engine started to lose power, so it is likely that pilot’s failure to use carburetor heat earlier in the flight caused carburetor icing that led to the partial loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.