What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On 12/29/2023 at approximately 1110 EDT,privacy data omitted a Piper tri-pacer PA-22-135, experience engine failure while on the downwind leg of the intended landing at Sawyer International Airport (ksaw). The aircraft landed safely on a local road in the proximity of ksaw. No injuries were reported.
On 12/29/2023 a flight was conducted from hanley field (K5Y7) to Sawyer International Airport (ksaw) operating in visual meteorological conditions with one pilot and one passenger. The purpose of the flight was for leisure and to relocate the aircraft for general maintenance servicing. The weather reported at ksaw at the approximate date and time of the incident indicated wind from the north at 15 knots with scatter clouds, a temperature of 34 degrees fahrenheit and a dew point of 30 degrees fahrenheit. The pilot stated weather was checked via ATIS prior to the flight. The pilot stated “I was in the process of entering the pattern at ksaw with a right downwind to rwy 01. I had power set to 2300 RPM for roughly 15 minutes of flying beforehand. I pulled power back to 2100 RPM and pulled carb heat making the left turn to the downwind while also making the clear-to-land call back to tower. While in the downwind I noticed I was still fast and further reduced power to 1500-1700 RPM to get back within normal pattern parameters, but when I fed power back in, it stayed stuck at that power setting… sometime within this period I also switched from the left to right tank to preclude any fuel contamination issues, but it made no difference on RPM.” the pilot noted the fuel sumps during preflight did not contain water or contamination. The pilot stated, due to decreased power settings, a road near the airport was chosen as the safest alternative to land. The pilot stated the engine “stopped” and noted there was insufficient altitude to attempt a restart. The pilot stated “I declared an emergency with tower and first lined up on the left ditch of M-94, as there was a single, black suv northbound on the highway. After the suv passed, I slid over to centerline on the highway and landed there, coasting down the small hill, and stopping across from scorpion road. I then got out of the plane with my passenger, and we pulled the plane into the ditch, and I got back on the radio to inform tower that we were fine and there was no damage to anything on the ground or the aircraft. From the time the engine stopped to touchdown on the road was approximately 1 minute.” the aircraft landed safely with no reported injuries. The aircraft was towed onto the adjacent airport ksaw.
Minor damage is as follows: the mechanic that is in current possession of the aircraft and performs regular maintenance indicated the nose strut experience compression during the braking sequence that resulted in a nose strut leak. Additionally, the mechanic stated, “the throttle cable is not moving smoothly and likely resulted from the pilot’s actions during the incident.” the pilot did not note any issues related to the throttle prior or during the incident. The mechanic stated after the aircraft was returned to ksaw, he performed an engine run-up with no additional abnormalities aside from the “stiff” throttle operation.
The weather data in the approximate area, date and time indicates conditions providing high possibility of engine carburetor icing that may result in engine failure. The aircraft did not have an oil radiator baffle covering during the incident. The owner’s manual recommends use of the oil radiator baffle cover in winter conditions. Additionally, the owner’s manual states “it [carburetor heat] should also be checked in flight occasionally when outside air temperatures are between 20° and 70° to see if icing is occurring in the carburetor.” the pilot stated engine carburetor heat was not used during the flight until the airplane entered the downwind leg of the landing sequence.
As the FAA filed it
ON 12/29/2023 AT APPROXIMATELY 1110 EDT,^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ A PIPER TRI-PACER PA-22-135, EXPERIENCE ENGINE FAILURE WHILE ON THE DOWNWIND LEG OF THE INTENDED LANDING AT SAWYER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KSAW). THE AIRCRAFT LANDED SAFELY ON A LOCAL ROAD IN THE PROXIMITY OF KSAW. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED.
ON 12/29/2023 A FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED FROM HANLEY FIELD (K5Y7) TO SAWYER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KSAW) OPERATING IN VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WITH ONE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER. THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS FOR LEISURE AND TO RELOCATE THE AIRCRAFT FOR GENERAL MAINTENANCE SERVICING. THE WEATHER REPORTED AT KSAW AT THE APPROXIMATE DATE AND TIME OF THE INCIDENT INDICATED WIND FROM THE NORTH AT 15 KNOTS WITH SCATTER CLOUDS, A TEMPERATURE OF 34 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT AND A DEW POINT OF 30 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. THE PILOT STATED WEATHER WAS CHECKED VIA ATIS PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT. THE PILOT STATED “I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF ENTERING THE PATTERN AT KSAW WITH A RIGHT DOWNWIND TO RWY 01. I HAD POWER SET TO 2300 RPM FOR ROUGHLY 15 MINUTES OF FLYING BEFOREHAND. I PULLED POWER BACK TO 2100 RPM AND PULLED CARB HEAT MAKING THE LEFT TURN TO THE DOWNWIND WHILE ALSO MAKING THE CLEAR-TO-LAND CALL BACK TO TOWER. WHILE IN THE DOWNWIND I NOTICED I WAS STILL FAST AND FURTHER REDUCED POWER TO 1500-1700 RPM TO GET BACK WITHIN NORMAL PATTERN PARAMETERS, BUT WHEN I FED POWER BACK IN, IT STAYED STUCK AT THAT POWER SETTING… SOMETIME WITHIN THIS PERIOD I ALSO SWITCHED FROM THE LEFT TO RIGHT TANK TO PRECLUDE ANY FUEL CONTAMINATION ISSUES, BUT IT MADE NO DIFFERENCE ON RPM.” THE PILOT NOTED THE FUEL SUMPS DURING PREFLIGHT DID NOT CONTAIN WATER OR CONTAMINATION. THE PILOT STATED, DUE TO DECREASED POWER SETTINGS, A ROAD NEAR THE AIRPORT WAS CHOSEN AS THE SAFEST ALTERNATIVE TO LAND. THE PILOT STATED THE ENGINE “STOPPED” AND NOTED THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO ATTEMPT A RESTART. THE PILOT STATED “I DECLARED AN EMERGENCY WITH TOWER AND FIRST LINED UP ON THE LEFT DITCH OF M-94, AS THERE WAS A SINGLE, BLACK SUV NORTHBOUND ON THE HIGHWAY. AFTER THE SUV PASSED, I SLID OVER TO CENTERLINE ON THE HIGHWAY AND LANDED THERE, COASTING DOWN THE SMALL HILL, AND STOPPING ACROSS FROM SCORPION ROAD. I THEN GOT OUT OF THE PLANE WITH MY PASSENGER, AND WE PULLED THE PLANE INTO THE DITCH, AND I GOT BACK ON THE RADIO TO INFORM TOWER THAT WE WERE FINE AND THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO ANYTHING ON THE GROUND OR THE AIRCRAFT. FROM THE TIME THE ENGINE STOPPED TO TOUCHDOWN ON THE ROAD WAS APPROXIMATELY 1 MINUTE.” THE AIRCRAFT LANDED SAFELY WITH NO REPORTED INJURIES. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOWED ONTO THE ADJACENT AIRPORT KSAW.
MINOR DAMAGE IS AS FOLLOWS: THE MECHANIC THAT IS IN CURRENT POSSESSION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND PERFORMS REGULAR MAINTENANCE INDICATED THE NOSE STRUT EXPERIENCE COMPRESSION DURING THE BRAKING SEQUENCE THAT RESULTED IN A NOSE STRUT LEAK. ADDITIONALLY, THE MECHANIC STATED, “THE THROTTLE CABLE IS NOT MOVING SMOOTHLY AND LIKELY RESULTED FROM THE PILOT’S ACTIONS DURING THE INCIDENT.” THE PILOT DID NOT NOTE ANY ISSUES RELATED TO THE THROTTLE PRIOR OR DURING THE INCIDENT. THE MECHANIC STATED AFTER THE AIRCRAFT WAS RETURNED TO KSAW, HE PERFORMED AN ENGINE RUN-UP WITH NO ADDITIONAL ABNORMALITIES ASIDE FROM THE “STIFF” THROTTLE OPERATION.
THE WEATHER DATA IN THE APPROXIMATE AREA, DATE AND TIME INDICATES CONDITIONS PROVIDING HIGH POSSIBILITY OF ENGINE CARBURETOR ICING THAT MAY RESULT IN ENGINE FAILURE. THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT HAVE AN OIL RADIATOR BAFFLE COVERING DURING THE INCIDENT. THE OWNER’S MANUAL RECOMMENDS USE OF THE OIL RADIATOR BAFFLE COVER IN WINTER CONDITIONS. ADDITIONALLY, THE OWNER’S MANUAL STATES “IT [CARBURETOR HEAT] SHOULD ALSO BE CHECKED IN FLIGHT OCCASIONALLY WHEN OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURES ARE BETWEEN 20° AND 70° TO SEE IF ICING IS OCCURRING IN THE CARBURETOR.” THE PILOT STATED ENGINE CARBURETOR HEAT WAS NOT USED DURING THE FLIGHT UNTIL THE AIRPLANE ENTERED THE DOWNWIND LEG OF THE LANDING SEQUENCE.