Piper PA-28-151 N41370

Summary

On 16 October 2024 at about 15:11 local time, a Piper PA-28-151 registered N41370 was involved in an accident near Newnan, Georgia, 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

16 October 2024 at 15:11

Classification

Accident

Location

Newnan, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Newnan Coweta County (CCO)

Coordinates

33.3300, -84.7700

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-151

Registration

N41370

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

Unknown → Fort Payne

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA25LA016

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate use of carburetor heat during the engine run-up, which resulted in a partial loss of power due to carburetor icing during takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. The preflight inspection, engine runup, and takeoff were all normal; however, during the initial climb, just after flap retraction, there was an engine stutter and power reduction followed by “sputtering.” The pilot struggled to climb and achieved a maximum altitude of about300 ft above ground level (agl). The pilot performed the engine failure checklist and attempted to troubleshoot but was unsuccessful in restoring engine power. As the stall warning horn sounded, he pushed the nose over and attempted a forced landing on a nearby agricultural field. During the landing flare, the airplane’s left wing impacted a hay bale and the airplane veered to the left and rolled down a sloped portion of the field. It then traveled down an embankment, crossed a road, and impacted telephone pole guy wires, separating the left wing before coming to rest. Postaccident examination revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane or engine. A maintenance logbook review did not reveal any repetitive or anomalous activity that would result in a loss of engine power. Based on the reported weather conditions at the time of the partial power loss, the airplane was operating in conditions conducive to the formation of serious carburetor icing at glide power and on the boundary of icing at glide and cruise power. Based on this information, it is likely that carburetor icing formed during the 8-minute engine start and taxi before takeoff and the carburetor icing check before takeoff was likely insufficient to melt the ice formed within the carburetor. The pilot reported that he applied carburetor heat after the loss of power, but it was likely insufficient to melt the ice during the short flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.