What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Aircraft, with one person on board, departed baytown airport (khpy), baytown, TX, enroute grand prairie, TX, part 91 flight. While in cruise flight, on two successive occasions the pilot heard a notable noise coming from the engine. Pilot reversed course to return to baytown (khpy). A few minutes later the engine made a much louder noise and power dropped to near idle. Unable to maintain altitude, pilot turned aircraft toward Livingston Municipal Airport (00R). Pilot successfully landed the aircraft on runway 12 but due to altitude and airspeed landed long and rolled off the end of the runway into tall grass with soft ground. The aircraft nosed over, flipping over and coming to rest on the tail. Pilot safely exited the aircraft. Aircraft was recovered and parked at a hangar on Livingston Municipal Airport property. Pilot stated the aircraft was not under power on landing but propellor was weathervaning. Visual inspection of the aircraft was conducted at the hangar where the aircraft was parked after recovery, with no cowlings opened/removed. The following damage was observed: all three propeller blades damaged, left main landing gear front portion of wheel fairing broken/removed, damage to vertical stabilizer and rudder, damage to horizontal stabilizer and elevators, both wing supports bent with right wing support showing more deformation, both wings deflected downward, fore/aft tears in the skin on the upper surface of the left wing approximately eight and sixteen inches from the wing root, two light streaks of oil coming from air inlet scoop on RH side upper surface of engine cowling just forward of quick access door, evidence of oil streaming down lower surface of front engine cowling from propellor hub to lower air inlet with a droplet of oil hanging on lower edge of propellor hub. Approximately four ounces of fuel was drained from the fuel tank drain. The sample indicated clear and bright. Initial report was there were no injuries sustained. During inspection of aircraft, a spot of what appeared to be smeared blood was observed on the exterior surface of the pilot’s door. When queried, the pilot stated he sustained a laceration to the top of his forehead that required ten stitches. The aircraft was released for transport to baytown airport.
Houston ASI met with pilotprivacy data omitted and additional A&P certificated mechanic at baytown airport for the purpose of trying to determine cause of engine power loss. Engine and all associated components and controls were inspected and/or operationally checked. Nothing notable was observed during the inspection of the engine and components/systems/controls.
The possibility of carburetor icing causing reduced engine performance was discussed. The pilot stated that when he experienced the anomaly, he applied carburetor heat. He felt that exacerbated the problem, so he removed carburetor heat. The pilot believed what he was experiencing was more related to a misfire. Using the graph contained in “special airworthiness information bulletin CE-09-35 carburetor icing prevention” to determine the probability of carburetor icing for various temperature and relative humidity conditions, based on flight parameters at the time of the aircraft power loss, the possibility of “serious icing” is indicated.
Absent any findings of mechanical irregularities in subsequent inspections, it is possible the loss of engine power was caused by carburetor icing.
As the FAA filed it
AIRCRAFT, WITH ONE PERSON ON BOARD, DEPARTED BAYTOWN AIRPORT (KHPY), BAYTOWN, TX, ENROUTE GRAND PRAIRIE, TX, PART 91 FLIGHT. WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT, ON TWO SUCCESSIVE OCCASIONS THE PILOT HEARD A NOTABLE NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. PILOT REVERSED COURSE TO RETURN TO BAYTOWN (KHPY). A FEW MINUTES LATER THE ENGINE MADE A MUCH LOUDER NOISE AND POWER DROPPED TO NEAR IDLE. UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE, PILOT TURNED AIRCRAFT TOWARD LIVINGSTON MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (00R). PILOT SUCCESSFULLY LANDED THE AIRCRAFT ON RUNWAY 12 BUT DUE TO ALTITUDE AND AIRSPEED LANDED LONG AND ROLLED OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY INTO TALL GRASS WITH SOFT GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER, FLIPPING OVER AND COMING TO REST ON THE TAIL. PILOT SAFELY EXITED THE AIRCRAFT. AIRCRAFT WAS RECOVERED AND PARKED AT A HANGAR ON LIVINGSTON MUNICIPAL AIRPORT PROPERTY. PILOT STATED THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT UNDER POWER ON LANDING BUT PROPELLOR WAS WEATHERVANING. VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS CONDUCTED AT THE HANGAR WHERE THE AIRCRAFT WAS PARKED AFTER RECOVERY, WITH NO COWLINGS OPENED/REMOVED. THE FOLLOWING DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED: ALL THREE PROPELLER BLADES DAMAGED, LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR FRONT PORTION OF WHEEL FAIRING BROKEN/REMOVED, DAMAGE TO VERTICAL STABILIZER AND RUDDER, DAMAGE TO HORIZONTAL STABILIZER AND ELEVATORS, BOTH WING SUPPORTS BENT WITH RIGHT WING SUPPORT SHOWING MORE DEFORMATION, BOTH WINGS DEFLECTED DOWNWARD, FORE/AFT TEARS IN THE SKIN ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE LEFT WING APPROXIMATELY EIGHT AND SIXTEEN INCHES FROM THE WING ROOT, TWO LIGHT STREAKS OF OIL COMING FROM AIR INLET SCOOP ON RH SIDE UPPER SURFACE OF ENGINE COWLING JUST FORWARD OF QUICK ACCESS DOOR, EVIDENCE OF OIL STREAMING DOWN LOWER SURFACE OF FRONT ENGINE COWLING FROM PROPELLOR HUB TO LOWER AIR INLET WITH A DROPLET OF OIL HANGING ON LOWER EDGE OF PROPELLOR HUB. APPROXIMATELY FOUR OUNCES OF FUEL WAS DRAINED FROM THE FUEL TANK DRAIN. THE SAMPLE INDICATED CLEAR AND BRIGHT. INITIAL REPORT WAS THERE WERE NO INJURIES SUSTAINED. DURING INSPECTION OF AIRCRAFT, A SPOT OF WHAT APPEARED TO BE SMEARED BLOOD WAS OBSERVED ON THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF THE PILOT’S DOOR. WHEN QUERIED, THE PILOT STATED HE SUSTAINED A LACERATION TO THE TOP OF HIS FOREHEAD THAT REQUIRED TEN STITCHES. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RELEASED FOR TRANSPORT TO BAYTOWN AIRPORT.
HOUSTON ASI MET WITH PILOT^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND ADDITIONAL A&P CERTIFICATED MECHANIC AT BAYTOWN AIRPORT FOR THE PURPOSE OF TRYING TO DETERMINE CAUSE OF ENGINE POWER LOSS. ENGINE AND ALL ASSOCIATED COMPONENTS AND CONTROLS WERE INSPECTED AND/OR OPERATIONALLY CHECKED. NOTHING NOTABLE WAS OBSERVED DURING THE INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE AND COMPONENTS/SYSTEMS/CONTROLS.
THE POSSIBILITY OF CARBURETOR ICING CAUSING REDUCED ENGINE PERFORMANCE WAS DISCUSSED. THE PILOT STATED THAT WHEN HE EXPERIENCED THE ANOMALY, HE APPLIED CARBURETOR HEAT. HE FELT THAT EXACERBATED THE PROBLEM, SO HE REMOVED CARBURETOR HEAT. THE PILOT BELIEVED WHAT HE WAS EXPERIENCING WAS MORE RELATED TO A MISFIRE. USING THE GRAPH CONTAINED IN “SPECIAL AIRWORTHINESS INFORMATION BULLETIN CE-09-35 CARBURETOR ICING PREVENTION” TO DETERMINE THE PROBABILITY OF CARBURETOR ICING FOR VARIOUS TEMPERATURE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY CONDITIONS, BASED ON FLIGHT PARAMETERS AT THE TIME OF THE AIRCRAFT POWER LOSS, THE POSSIBILITY OF “SERIOUS ICING” IS INDICATED.
ABSENT ANY FINDINGS OF MECHANICAL IRREGULARITIES IN SUBSEQUENT INSPECTIONS, IT IS POSSIBLE THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER WAS CAUSED BY CARBURETOR ICING.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.