# Incident 20080131010749I: Piper PA28161, Decatur, IL, January 31, 2008

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 31, 2008, 13:46 local time
- Place: Decatur, IL
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.8403° N, 88.9548° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Decatur, IL, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.8403&lon=-88.9548&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6461C, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N6461C) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-161 (registry code 7102803, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-161) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28161
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 5,200 total, 1,500 in this make and model, 130 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080131010749I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) A CERTIFICATED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT PILOT WERE FLYING A PIPER PA-28-161, TAIL NUMBER N6461C FROM MATTOON, ILLINOIS TO SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS. AFTER EXECUTING A PRACTICE INSTRUMENT APPROACH TO RUNWAY 36 AT DECATUR, ILLINOIS, THEY WERE IN THE PROCESS OF CLIMBING THE AIRCRAFT AND PROCEEDING ONTO THEIR DESTINATION OF SPRINGFIELD. DURING CLIMBOUT, THE FLIGHT ENCOUNTERED SNOW SHOWER ACTIVITY IN THE VICINITY OF DECATUR, AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR NOTICED A SUBTLE BUT DEFINED POWER LOSS AND ENGINE ROUGHNESS. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR THEN APPLIED CARBURETOR HEAT AND THE ENGINE ROUGHNESS BECAME MORE APPARENT SO HE DISCONTINUED ITS USE. THE PILOT WAS IN CONTACT WITH THE CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL FACILITY (ATC), AND REPORTED THE PROBLEM. THE PILOT THEN ELECTED TO RETURN TO DECATUR FOR A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING. CHAMPAIGN ATC ISSUED A RADAR VECTOR TO DECATUR AIRPORT AND SHORLTLY THEREAFTER, THE PILOT REPORTED THE AIRPORT IN SIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED AT DECATUR ON RUNWAY 6 WITHOUT INCIDENT. THIS INCIDENT IS CLOSED WITH THIS REPORT.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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