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20180517014249I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-18A 150 · Cordova, AK · May 17, 2018

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 17, 2018 · 19:20 local
Place
Cordova, AK
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N8086D
Reported as
Piper PA-18A 150
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
320 total280 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days
N8086DRegistered now · Piper PA-18A 150S/N 18-6079 · Built 1957Airframe modelPiper PA-18A 150Engine modelLycoming 0-320 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.

The pilot departed Cordova after watching the tide tables and the weather. He planned to arrive at his cabin on the beach with his conventional gear, wheel airplane when the tide was out. The pilot ran the tires along the beach to determine the suitability of the landing area. Then, on downwind for landing, the pilot ran the landing checklist. After pulling out the carburetor heat, the engine lost power at approximately 500 feet AGL. The pilot increased the throttle, but the engine then quit. The engine did start for a brief period, but then quit again. The pilot maintained aircraft control but landed short of his intended landed area. The landing gear collapsed after contacting a sand dune. There were no injuries to the pilot or passenger and minor damage to the aircraft. The aircraft had no preimpact mechanical malfunction however, based upon the temperature/ dewpoint spread (48 deg f/ 47 deg f with 96% relative humidity), carburetor icing is suspected to have caused the loss of engine power.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT DEPARTED CORDOVA AFTER WATCHING THE TIDE TABLES AND THE WEATHER. HE PLANNED TO ARRIVE AT HIS CABIN ON THE BEACH WITH HIS CONVENTIONAL GEAR, WHEEL AIRPLANE WHEN THE TIDE WAS OUT. THE PILOT RAN THE TIRES ALONG THE BEACH TO DETERMINE THE SUITABILITY OF THE LANDING AREA. THEN, ON DOWNWIND FOR LANDING, THE PILOT RAN THE LANDING CHECKLIST. AFTER PULLING OUT THE CARBURETOR HEAT, THE ENGINE LOST POWER AT APPROXIMATELY 500 FEET AGL. THE PILOT INCREASED THE THROTTLE, BUT THE ENGINE THEN QUIT. THE ENGINE DID START FOR A BRIEF PERIOD, BUT THEN QUIT AGAIN. THE PILOT MAINTAINED AIRCRAFT CONTROL BUT LANDED SHORT OF HIS INTENDED LANDED AREA. THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AFTER CONTACTING A SAND DUNE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE PILOT OR PASSENGER AND MINOR DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT HAD NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION HOWEVER, BASED UPON THE TEMPERATURE/ DEWPOINT SPREAD (48 DEG F/ 47 DEG F WITH 96% RELATIVE HUMIDITY), CARBURETOR ICING IS SUSPECTED TO HAVE CAUSED THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER.