What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Inspector kearby received call from the rocc on 01 January 2014 stating a lightplanes FK9 ela sw had gone down in a field near Canton, GA. At the time of the accident there was one pilot and one passenger on board with no reported injuries.
Due to the weather at the time of the flight, carburetor ice was suspected to be contributing factor.
The following is the pilots account of the accident:
Uneventful flight from kryy to 0GA1. On the return flight everything was normal until about halfway or just past lake lanier. The fuel PSI dropped to .1GPH, then almost immediately engine roughness and a substantial drop in RPM. I turned on aux fuel and performed a restart which brought RPM up to about 3000. The engine was very rough and the whole plane was vibrating. I selected nrst on the garmin and headed toward cherokee co airport which was about ten NM away. After about 3 or 4 minutes of loosing 200 fpm and recognizing the terrain getting worse ahead I decided to perform an emergency landing. I asked privacy data omitted to dial in 121.5 and I declared an emergency. I said my tail number and we had engine problems and we're going down I looked at the garmin to try and get an exact location but then decided to focus on landing. My options were a football field surrounded by obstacles, a very hilly golf course with people, or an open cow pasture surrounded by trees. I chose the pasture because it looked the safest. I lined up parallel to my intened landing direction then performed a right 90 and then a left 90 to reduce altitude. Once lined up I performed s slip over the trees to drop in and reduce airspeed. I straightened up during my flare and touched down smoothly on the top of small hill. We went down and back up another small hill which launched us into the air 5 or 10 feet. I flared again but our lift was ineffective at that speed and we impacted the soft field and the left main snapped immediately slowing us which pressured the nose gear until it failed which led to an abrupt stop and skid to the left about 75 degrees. The ELT audible was sounding and I turned of all systems and instructed tim to exit. I looked and smelled for fuel leaks and without any evidence of fuel I got back on the radio and announced we were ok. I then called the aircraft leasee, privacy data omitted, and told him what happened. I gave him an approximate location and said I'll call back with an address. He called back a few minutes later and asked me to turn off the ELT. I did then exited. We had farmers pick us up and take us to the road where we got an exact address and waited for privacy data omitted. When he and privacy data omitted arrived they surveyed the damage, spoke with the property owner, and retrieved some logs from the plane. They then drove privacy data omitted and I to a local police/fire station where privacy data omitted went in to let them know of the incident. Afterwards we headed back to kryy.
Inspector kearby, inspector childs and inspector bell from the atlanta FSDO inspected the crash site on Tuesday, 07 January 2014 and found the aircraft just as privacy data omitted described. The nose gear and left main had collapsed whch damaged the nose cowling, prop, and firewall.
On wedseday, 08 January 2014 the same inspectors traveled to cartersville, GA were the aircraft had been moved to a hanger for repair. Inspector bell and childs inspector the engine with the assistance of Rotax engine represenative via cell phone.
On Friday, 10 January 2014 inspector kearby spoke with the NTSB investigator shawn etcher and he stated that Rotax is going to send representatives to investigate the engine further.
As the FAA filed it
INSPECTOR KEARBY RECEIVED CALL FROM THE ROCC ON 01 JANUARY 2014 STATING A LIGHTPLANES FK9 ELA SW HAD GONE DOWN IN A FIELD NEAR CANTON, GA. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT THERE WAS ONE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER ON BOARD WITH NO REPORTED INJURIES.
DUE TO THE WEATHER AT THE TIME OF THE FLIGHT, CARBURETOR ICE WAS SUSPECTED TO BE CONTRIBUTING FACTOR.
THE FOLLOWING IS THE PILOTS ACCOUNT OF THE ACCIDENT:
UNEVENTFUL FLIGHT FROM KRYY TO 0GA1. ON THE RETURN FLIGHT EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL UNTIL ABOUT HALFWAY OR JUST PAST LAKE LANIER. THE FUEL PSI DROPPED TO .1GPH, THEN ALMOST IMMEDIATELY ENGINE ROUGHNESS AND A SUBSTANTIAL DROP IN RPM. I TURNED ON AUX FUEL AND PERFORMED A RESTART WHICH BROUGHT RPM UP TO ABOUT 3000. THE ENGINE WAS VERY ROUGH AND THE WHOLE PLANE WAS VIBRATING. I SELECTED NRST ON THE GARMIN AND HEADED TOWARD CHEROKEE CO AIRPORT WHICH WAS ABOUT TEN NM AWAY. AFTER ABOUT 3 OR 4 MINUTES OF LOOSING 200 FPM AND RECOGNIZING THE TERRAIN GETTING WORSE AHEAD I DECIDED TO PERFORM AN EMERGENCY LANDING. I ASKED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TO DIAL IN 121.5 AND I DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. I SAID MY TAIL NUMBER AND WE HAD ENGINE PROBLEMS AND WE'RE GOING DOWN I LOOKED AT THE GARMIN TO TRY AND GET AN EXACT LOCATION BUT THEN DECIDED TO FOCUS ON LANDING. MY OPTIONS WERE A FOOTBALL FIELD SURROUNDED BY OBSTACLES, A VERY HILLY GOLF COURSE WITH PEOPLE, OR AN OPEN COW PASTURE SURROUNDED BY TREES. I CHOSE THE PASTURE BECAUSE IT LOOKED THE SAFEST. I LINED UP PARALLEL TO MY INTENED LANDING DIRECTION THEN PERFORMED A RIGHT 90 AND THEN A LEFT 90 TO REDUCE ALTITUDE. ONCE LINED UP I PERFORMED S SLIP OVER THE TREES TO DROP IN AND REDUCE AIRSPEED. I STRAIGHTENED UP DURING MY FLARE AND TOUCHED DOWN SMOOTHLY ON THE TOP OF SMALL HILL. WE WENT DOWN AND BACK UP ANOTHER SMALL HILL WHICH LAUNCHED US INTO THE AIR 5 OR 10 FEET. I FLARED AGAIN BUT OUR LIFT WAS INEFFECTIVE AT THAT SPEED AND WE IMPACTED THE SOFT FIELD AND THE LEFT MAIN SNAPPED IMMEDIATELY SLOWING US WHICH PRESSURED THE NOSE GEAR UNTIL IT FAILED WHICH LED TO AN ABRUPT STOP AND SKID TO THE LEFT ABOUT 75 DEGREES. THE ELT AUDIBLE WAS SOUNDING AND I TURNED OF ALL SYSTEMS AND INSTRUCTED TIM TO EXIT. I LOOKED AND SMELLED FOR FUEL LEAKS AND WITHOUT ANY EVIDENCE OF FUEL I GOT BACK ON THE RADIO AND ANNOUNCED WE WERE OK. I THEN CALLED THE AIRCRAFT LEASEE, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, AND TOLD HIM WHAT HAPPENED. I GAVE HIM AN APPROXIMATE LOCATION AND SAID I'LL CALL BACK WITH AN ADDRESS. HE CALLED BACK A FEW MINUTES LATER AND ASKED ME TO TURN OFF THE ELT. I DID THEN EXITED. WE HAD FARMERS PICK US UP AND TAKE US TO THE ROAD WHERE WE GOT AN EXACT ADDRESS AND WAITED FOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. WHEN HE AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ARRIVED THEY SURVEYED THE DAMAGE, SPOKE WITH THE PROPERTY OWNER, AND RETRIEVED SOME LOGS FROM THE PLANE. THEY THEN DROVE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND I TO A LOCAL POLICE/FIRE STATION WHERE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WENT IN TO LET THEM KNOW OF THE INCIDENT. AFTERWARDS WE HEADED BACK TO KRYY.
INSPECTOR KEARBY, INSPECTOR CHILDS AND INSPECTOR BELL FROM THE ATLANTA FSDO INSPECTED THE CRASH SITE ON TUESDAY, 07 JANUARY 2014 AND FOUND THE AIRCRAFT JUST AS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DESCRIBED. THE NOSE GEAR AND LEFT MAIN HAD COLLAPSED WHCH DAMAGED THE NOSE COWLING, PROP, AND FIREWALL.
ON WEDSEDAY, 08 JANUARY 2014 THE SAME INSPECTORS TRAVELED TO CARTERSVILLE, GA WERE THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN MOVED TO A HANGER FOR REPAIR. INSPECTOR BELL AND CHILDS INSPECTOR THE ENGINE WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF ROTAX ENGINE REPRESENATIVE VIA CELL PHONE.
ON FRIDAY, 10 JANUARY 2014 INSPECTOR KEARBY SPOKE WITH THE NTSB INVESTIGATOR SHAWN ETCHER AND HE STATED THAT ROTAX IS GOING TO SEND REPRESENTATIVES TO INVESTIGATE THE ENGINE FURTHER.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.