# Incident 20141123022779I: Piper PA-28-236, O'Fallon, IL, November 23, 2014

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 23, 2014, 14:00 local time
- Place: O'Fallon, IL
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.6000° N, 89.9154° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of O'Fallon, IL, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.6000&lon=-89.9154&mi=10
- Aircraft: N351VA, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N351VA) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-236 (registry code 7102815, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-236) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-540 series (registry code 41532, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-236
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-540 SERIES
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 3,000 total, 16 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20141123022779I

## Narrative

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

AIRCRAFT DEPARTED KCPS ON AN  IFR FLIGHT PLAN FLYING IN IMC FLIGHT CONDITIONS. PIC WAS CLEARED TO CLIMB FROM 3000 TO 7000. APPROACHING 5000 THE AIRCRAFT STRUGGLED TO CLIMB. PC APPLIED FULL POWER ONLY ABLE TO MAINTAIN 85 KIAS AND 100-200 FPM RATE OF CLIMB. THE CARBURATEROR HEAT WAS APPLIED WITH NO CHANGE. THE PIC TURNED THE CARBURETOR HEAT OFF. PIC REQUESTED A CLEARANCE TO RETURN TO KCPS. ATC REPORTED THE WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE DETERIORATING AT KCPS AND RECOMMENDED LANDING AT KBLV. PIC ACCEPTED THE ATC RECOMMENDATION. THE PIC DID NOT DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. VECTORS WERE PROVIDED FOR THE 14 LOCALIZER APPROACH AT KBLV. PIC AGAIN TURNED ON THE CARBURETOR HEAT SWITCH ON FOR THE DURATION OF THE FLIGHT. THIS DID NOT HELP. PIC SWITCHED FUEL TANKS AND ADJUSTED THE MIXTURE CONTROL WITH NO POSITIVE RESULTS. PIC REPORT THE ENGINE POWER CONTINUED TO DETERIORATE AND HE DETERMINED HE COULD NOT MAKE IT TO THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS AT APPROXIMATELY 400 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL AND LANDED IN A PLOWED FIELD. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND NO APPARENT DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. AFTER LANDING THE PIC NOTIFIED FLIGHT SERVICE OF THE APPROXIMATE LOCATION AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES.

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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