OpenAirDocs.org

19970312008079I

Incident
Open the Markdown

FAA incident report · Cessna 150 · Litchfield, CT · March 12, 1997

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
March 12, 1997 · 10:00 local
Place
Litchfield, CT
Phase of flight
Practice Training Manuevers
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft
N6434T
Reported as
Cessna 150
Reported engine
Continental O200A
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
570 total35 in this make and model50 in the last 90 days
N6434TRegistered now · Cessna 150S/N 17834 · Built 1960Airframe modelCessna 150Engine modelContinental 0-200 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: pilots stated at the conclusion of a simulated engine failure over an area of fields, when power was applied, the engine ran rough for a few seconds then quit. The airplane was landed by the CFI in a field with no damage to the airplane or property. There were no injuries to the pilots. Investigation revealed that a small amount of water was found and drained prior to the flight. The airplanes engine had performed normally on various flight maneuvers at various power settings for aprox. 40 minutes before it quit. No evidence of water in the fuel tanks or ice in the carburator was found at the forced landing site by FAA inspectors. The airplane was recovered by vehicle and taken to executive flight service at waterbury oxford, CT. Airport for a maintenance analysis. The carburetor was rebuilt with no mechanical deficiency found, although evidence of water in the carburetor at some point in its life was noted, but none found on the rebuild. The main fuel tanks were flushed and a small amount of debris and water was present. Fuel lines and tank vents were purged with air and an object was heard in the tank indicating that something had been in the vent line. The probable cause, for the engine stoppage, is either water or ice that was present in the fuel system along with the possibility of some debris. A specific cause cannot be found. The pilots actions in preflight, runup, and inflight were prudent and professionally conducted.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: PILOTS STATED AT THE CONCLUSION OF A SIMULATED ENGINE FAILURE OVER AN AREA OF FIELDS, WHEN POWER WAS APPLIED, THE ENGINE RAN ROUGH FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN QUIT. THE AIRPLANE WAS LANDED BY THE CFI IN A FIELD WITH NO DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE OR PROPERTY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE PILOTS. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT A SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER WAS FOUND AND DRAINED PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT. THE AIRPLANES ENGINE HAD PERFORMED NORMALLY ON VARIOUS FLIGHT MANEUVERS AT VARIOUS POWER SETTINGS FOR APROX. 40 MINUTES BEFORE IT QUIT. NO EVIDENCE OF WATER IN THE FUEL TANKS OR ICE IN THE CARBURATOR WAS FOUND AT THE FORCED LANDING SITE BY FAA INSPECTORS. THE AIRPLANE WAS RECOVERED BY VEHICLE AND TAKEN TO EXECUTIVE FLIGHT SERVICE AT WATERBURY OXFORD, CT. AIRPORT FOR A MAINTENANCE ANALYSIS. THE CARBURETOR WAS REBUILT WITH NO MECHANICAL DEFICIENCY FOUND, ALTHOUGH EVIDENCE OF WATER IN THE CARBURETOR AT SOME POINT IN ITS LIFE WAS NOTED, BUT NONE FOUND ON THE REBUILD. THE MAIN FUEL TANKS WERE FLUSHED AND A SMALL AMOUNT OF DEBRIS AND WATER WAS PRESENT. FUEL LINES AND TANK VENTS WERE PURGED WITH AIR AND AN OBJECT WAS HEARD IN THE TANK INDICATING THAT SOMETHING HAD BEEN IN THE VENT LINE. THE PROBABLE CAUSE, FOR THE ENGINE STOPPAGE, IS EITHER WATER OR ICE THAT WAS PRESENT IN THE FUEL SYSTEM ALONG WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF SOME DEBRIS. A SPECIFIC CAUSE CANNOT BE FOUND. THE PILOTS ACTIONS IN PREFLIGHT, RUNUP, AND INFLIGHT WERE PRUDENT AND PROFESSIONALLY CONDUCTED.